God Speed, Dear one
by Anjelline
Summary: She was witness to a club brawl that turned into a full out massacre. She wasn't supposed to live the night to see it, but she did. And she was captured, tortured because of it. And now she's finally managed to escape her torturers only to be locked away again.
1. Chapter 1

****disclaimer:** **don't have any ownership on trueblood, obviously. and the fact that this is a piece of fanfiction on should pretty much tell you that this piece has been nothing more than an imagination of sorts based on the wonderful characters of the show.

**a/n:** Please note that this story contains graphic violence, sexual content, and explicit language.

It's rare for me to state this upfront, but if you feel squeamish about abuse, I highly recommend you not read this. You will feel uncomfortable. But it will be worth the wait and the read, I promise a HEA ending to this.

* * *

**...**

**God Speed, Dear one**

**=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=**

She ran. Hard. Her bare feet pounding down on the granite loudly, bleeding from the shards of glass she'd landed on. She could feel a large shard biting into her left foot but it didn't seem to deter her from her momentary priority to get away, as far a distance, and as much time she could buy herself out of this incredibly mess she found herself in.

Her lungs felt like they were exploding - breaths coming and going in alarmingly fast gasps, her legs screaming at the exertion, her eyes darting around wildly, her flight instincts not allowing her to drop her guard, her heart beat roaring in her own ears as she quickly spotted a darkened alleyway between two short buildings for some reprieve. She was shivering, both from the cool night air, and the abuse she had been put under the past month. She'd somehow managed to escape the place she was held at, sneaked off by pure luck, a whole chain of events that she managed to take advantage of, and run, she did. Just like what she was doing right now.

The girl quickly took in the dark open corridor's layout, there were two escape ladders leading up to the roof that could allow her to gain access to a few open room windows. Her priority to instinctively seek out self-preservation meant she would have to ignore whatever shock and yelling that would come from the unsuspecting resident of their newest intruder in a few minutes. She made quick work, spotting an open window four floors up along one of the ladder's path. If that room wasn't safe, there was the other room just one floor up.

She ran up to the ladder and started climbing as quietly as she could, her jarring breaths and light thumps from her feet on the ladder the only sounds within the dead of the night. She'd barely gotten to the third floor when she heard voices of the two men she'd spent the better part of the evening running from. She discovered them just three nights ago, tailing her rather aggressively.

"Fuck! Where the fuck did she go?"

"Just fucking kill her on sight. Boss needs her dead."

The girl's eyes widened as she absorbed the information, hugging her body into the ladder, trying her best to flatten her self as closely as she could into the brick wall.

_'Shit. Shit, shit, shit, dammit. What the fuck am I gonna do?' _her mind raced as she tried to calm her breaths, she managed to clasp her hand to her mouth and bit down into the fleshy pad of her palm, screaming at herself internally. _'Fucking hell. Think. Think! Quick!'_

Her eyes still trained closely on the men just a few feet below, praying to any god who would listen to make sure they never look up and find her. She really couldn't afford to be shot at right at this moment. Her prayers must've been answered because the two men decided to split up and moved out of the alley and back into the street, running off in different directions.

She quickly and silently continued climbing, every little disturbance in the surroundings not caused by her was a direct flinch, and a spike in her anxiety to get out of the night, into someone's home for just a few minutes. She finally got up to the lit room, open window, and peered in cautiously. It was surprisingly empty.

As in, the room was void of proper furnishings, the light coming from a naked bulb hanging mid-way in the room, a rather new looking, comfortable mattress in the corner, and a chair next to it. That was it. Nothing else. She noticed that the door was left slightly ajar, and that there was a folded note, and a small pistol placed on the chair. She frowned at the sight. This was just too good to be true.

A loud crash from the other end of the alley caused her to whip her head in that direction, she had to push aside her doubts for now, and quickly climbed into the room, immediately making a beeline for the pistol which she picked up and checked. It was light weight and quite different from a normal handgun, it was almost too light, like a dart gun. She made quick work checking it out, and found that it was fully loaded, safety off, and she pumped the trigger at the wall facing her, impressed that the discharge did not give a loud blast, but instead bullet merely zipped out, a quiet whistle just like a dart gun. She flipped it back to 'on' and put it back on the chair and picked up the note, quickly reading it.

_"Ovidia, if you're reading this, you've found a safe hiding place. Stay here, help will be along shortly. Turn the light off so we know to come get you. God speed, dear one, we shall see you soon."_

The girl gulped, her anxiety still coursing through her veins thickly. She didn't know how someone knew who or where she was, and how they managed to strategically place this little room along the way, she'd been running blindly, but a small part of her mind had always compelled her to find safety by any dock, or industrial estate in any city she was in. And she was always compelled to look for opened windows by any escape ladders or staircases between any alleyway she found herself in. Probably, subconsciously, she was evoking survival tactics she'd learnt from watching all those spy movies she rented on a whim once.

_'Effective brainwashing. Whatever, Viddie, focus. Just do as the note says.'_

She took a look at the bare light, following the wiring to see where the switch would be and found none. She walked around the room slowly to find the light switch, her footprints leaving a bloody patchwork on the floor, marking out where she was going. She shut the door as quietly as she could, twisting the knob so it wouldn't snap into the groove. She went back to the chair and looked at the gun, and the lack of a switch.

Thinking quickly, she pumped a bullet at the light source, a little pleased that, at least, she had an accurate aim despite her hands shaking as the adrenaline began wearing thin. The room plunged into darkness, and using what little moonlight that was streaming into the room, she limped over to the bullet that had been embedded in the wall, and dug it out to study it. It was light and cool to touch, encased in two types of metals and had a blue glow in its core. She could hear a faint pitching sound emitting from the core. She flopped down into the mattress and let both bullet and gun clatter on the small floor space next to the mattress.

Her feet starting to hurt only now as she brought it up closer to her face to check out the damage. There were deep lacerations, and there was a large piece embedded into the arch of her left foot where she could feel it digging into the bone right now. She grimaced and let her foot go, her legs stretching out over the mattress. The last thing she would need now is to bleed out over a shard of glass. She could deal with the pain in her foot for now. Scooting herself back, she leant against the wall gingerly, no doubt getting a splotch of blood on it, if the wounds in her back hadn't been split open again from her climb up the ladder.

The girl finally allowed herself to whimper from the brutality and abuse that she had had endured from the past few weeks. She did not allow her tears to come forth yet. Even though the note said she was in a safe location, she couldn't trust herself enough to let her guards down yet, not until she was truly safe. Her whole back and torso burned from her injuries. Whoever had taken the time to torture her had been thorough. She dared not to take stock of her self though.

She tried to wiggle her toes, trying to determine if she ought to go with her earlier decision of letting that dubious piece of glass be in her foot. Her toes did feel a little numb, and not because of the cold. She groaned and pulled her foot up and set to work, gritting her teeth tightly, pushing her tongue up the roof of her mouth so she wouldn't make the fatal mistake of biting it and took a deep breath.

_'This is gonna hurt. badly.'_ she shrugged mentally and gulped.

She dug deep into her the bleeding gash, and trying her best to remain as quiet as she could, but a hushed scream pealed from the back of her throat as she felt around in her foot for that damn piece of glass, quickly pulling it out neatly and gasping for air out of relief and in pain rather than for actually breathing. Tears finally sprung from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks as she fell sideways into the mattress, the glass shard discarded on the floor, her hands shaking from the pain. Blood oozed out thickly and quickly from the wound, pooling on the floor where she had enough sense to keep it off the mattress. Not like it made a difference, the wounds on her front and back had seeped out from her thin t-shirt, already staining the bedding. Her pants rasping out her lips in shuddering gasps, she bit down on her bottom lip to gain some control over her physical pain before she let her eyes flutter shut for a moment of rest.

The girl's eyes snapped open suddenly. She had no idea how long she was out for but from the looks of the shadows casted in from the window, it was still within the same night. She blinked and wondered briefly why she would wake up so abruptly and scrambled to sit up and felt around for the gun when she heard a pair of footfalls stop by the door.

_'Shit! Why didn't I think to put the chair up the door!? Ovidia, you fucking imbecile! So much for spy movies!'_

The girl trained the pistol at the door, her fingers still slick with her own blood as she flipped the pistol's safety off, her breathing and heart rate both rapid. She could hear her own pain-filled gasps fill the room as the person beyond the door gave it a short, sharp rap before it was pushed open quickly.

Before her stood two pale skinned men. All three surveyed each other, her hands still steady on the trigger and she took a deep steadying breath, forcing her heart to calm. The men's face lit up with surprise before they stepped in, the taller of the two closing the door behind him almost too quietly. She noticed that both men were making a show of looking around the room, their eyes trailing where her bloody footprints had been marked out all around the sides of the room, before their gazes ended up either on the gun in her hands, her bloodied foot or the bloody smear on the wall where she'd been leaning on, and the pool of thick blood where the large slice of glass was soaked in. The taller man nodded to himself, as though he was rather impressed.

"Ovidia - that's you, yes?"

The shorter man asked, his voice clipped but not unkindly. She remained passive and did not respond as she studied the two men. The shorter of the two had tattoos peeking out from under his shirt sleeves and from the neckline, his hair cropped short along his scalp, and he looked no older than a boy her age, barely twenty or younger. The taller man, _'Definitely a man'_, she thought quickly, her eyes darting between him and the other guy. The taller man was a hulking male specimen, tall, blonde, very broad shoulders and a really defined torso, with really long legs. And probably looked ten years older than her and the other guy.

_'I probably can't even keep up without having to run, at his walking speed..'_, she frowned at the two and pursed her lips as they approached her very slowly, as though waiting for her to lash out violently the way a cornered cat would. She probably would.

She watched as the shorter guy put his hands up, the universal gesture for 'I mean you no harm'. There wasn't much she could do in her predicament. She was literally cornered, her foot was still bleeding profusely, she was sitting in the corner of the room where the mattress was placed, the only form of protection was the pistol in her hands. But there was only one of her, and two of them. And she was in quite a bit of discomfort from her physical pains.

_'So much for safety. I won't survive even if I manage to pop a bullet into either one of them.'_

She let out a resigned sigh and flipped the gun safety back on before dropping her hands to her sides, nodding quickly, letting her shoulders sag, more in defeat than in relief. The taller man must've read her mood correctly, because he crouched down before her, his face etched in concern and caution as he picked up the gun and set it aside quickly.

"I'm Eric, and this is Godric." his voice was calm, soothing, low and melodious.

She let herself look up at the two men and chewed on her bottom lip nervously, her anxiety still running through her veins, her guard still up, but she remained silent.

"We were sent here to assist you. We were waiting close by this whole time."

Ovidia frowned. This whole time? Who would be helping her? Her breath hitched when she heard gunshots popping from the road side, and the familiar voices of the two men who had been chasing her the past few nights, screaming and shouting in pain. Her neck craned towards the window so she could hear better. She let out a shaky breath when she finally heard the last man's screams gurgling off after a loud crack sounded out into the night.

Finally, one of the men in the room cleared his throat lightly, bringing her attention back to them.

"Who sent you? Why have you been waiting? What if I didn't run this way?" her words tumbled out of her quickly, her voice hoarse and foreign even to her own ears. She had not said a single word the past month, although her torturers had been sure to coax too many screams from her.

"A concerned friend of yours." the tall one called Eric replied softly, ignoring her other questions and had stretched his hand out towards her, "Are you able to stand?"

She gulped and let her gaze fall on her bleeding foot and shrugged, "Doubt so. I can try."

She saw both men's eyes darken as they took in the sight of her injured feet, Eric's nostrils flaring before she heard two clicks from them, her eyes darting back up to their faces. She managed to stifle her shock as she took in the new additions in their mouths - _'Fangs! They have __**fangs**__!?'_ her eyes widening in surprise as her head jerked forwards, reacting to her curiosity.

"You guys for real?" she laughed nervously, "Are those really fangs? Is it halloween already?"

The tattooed one, Godric had an amused look in his eyes as he raised a hand to Eric's shoulder calmly, and their fangs immediately disappeared with another click, as if it were never there. She pushed herself to sit up more, her feet gliding through the viscous fluids that was her blood, smearing it further into the floor, her palm pushing into the bloody mattress as she attempted to stand up, her other hand grabbing hold onto Eric's proffered hand. She was instantly in his arms, and at least four feet from the floor. Her surprised gasp eliciting a chuckle from Godric as he picked up the gun and they left the room all far too quickly than should be possible.

* * *

**\- . - . -**

Godric stiffened as the girl's blood permeated into the air thickly just beyond the door. He turned to look up at his child, Eric, who had a look of concern as they paused for a moment to listen to the human's laboured but restful breathing. They could taste the fear, pain and anxiety from her small form. They could hear the girl suddenly start, fumbling around for something, and her breath racing with her heart beat. Godric nodded and Eric knocked, pushing the door open for him to enter. They were greeted by the sight of a frightened girl with a gun in her hands.

They had taken to scouring the whole city for several weeks looking for the girl. She had not been easy to find, even less so trying to set up safe spots for her to look for. They littered the entire city with units similar to the one she was currently in; they were actually Eric's and his safe houses, some were light tight, some, like the one she was in, hadn't been vampire-proofed yet. They weren't even sure if she had enough sense about her to look for a hiding spot, but Eric had set all the rooms up around the city, and when movement was detected from the motion censors he'd installed, they would check it out. The fact that the girl had indeed managed to turn the light source out meant she was indeed smart enough to look for shelter.

Adam, a young human that worked for him had come begging for his help one night. A close young friend of his had unfortunately gotten into some trouble with a large pack of weres recently, and had been missing for over a month now. Eric had been visiting him in Dallas when the young man had sought his help, and through Eric's further questioning, they realised the wolves in question had been involved in the recent club massacre and the girl had been witness to the brutal scene. They would help Adam's friend, only because she would be leading them directly to being to solve their thousand year mystery, and her very life was also in mortal danger.

The two ancient vampires studied the entire room as they entered, the lack of light did not do much to hide what they could see with their heightened senses. The floor was bloodied all around the sides, Godric noted with slight interest that the girl had cased the entire room, her footprints a bloody trail until it went back to where the girl was currently sitting on the mattress. Her feet had a small pool of blood, a deep open gash still leaking and dripping blood. His throat was suddenly feeling rather parched, and he quickly glanced at the wall, a bloody smear. She'd been leaning against the wall before she fell into the mattress. His eyes widened so marginally as he took in the bloody mess on the mattress. His keen eyesight picking up whatever visible wounds he could see from the girl's slight body. She had been tortured. The beast in him roared thunderously, and he felt a similar rage coming from his child.

He quickly asked if the girl was indeed the one they had been waiting for, only to be met by a long cautious stare, her eyes darting back and forth from him to his progeny, the odd little gun pointing at them. She had obvious reasons to be wary, and he had to remind himself not to spook the girl. Eric seemed to pick up on his intent and stayed behind him as they moved towards her very slowly, his own hands raised up, showing the girl his intent was not to harm her. He was a little relieved when she dropped the gun and nodded in affirmative.

Godric let his progeny speak to the girl as he studied her more intensely, he was more than surprised that she'd managed to calm her heart rate down just as they'd entered. Perhaps she had a more level head than most girls her age. He narrowed his gaze back at her, her whole body was battered and bruised, cut up and in tatters, the fact that she was still alive even after having gone missing for more than a month... she was only a human girl. He shuddered inwardly, remembering his human days when he'd been a slave, meat picked for the torture sport of savage men. More than two thousand years later, and the brutality still exists. He sighed internally, and his attention was brought back to the pool of blood on the floor as Eric asked if the girl was able to stand. From the looks of it, she'd pulled out a large glass shard from the bleeding foot. It had to hurt. Godric felt Eric's blood lust peak within their bond, and despite the fact that he usually had a lot of control over his thirst, the heavily scent of fresh blood had influenced his waning control and both their fangs extended.

He quickly calmed his blood lust down and reminded Eric with a hand on his progeny's shoulder to get his control back. The girl had enough humour left in her to ask about their fangs, and he watched in interest as she tried to stand on her injured feet. He chuckled when Eric swept her off her feet instead, ready to leave.

He picked up the gun that Eric had set aside, noticing the half silvered bullet on the chair with the blue core. They had not left the gun here. He frowned and looked over at the girl.

"Ovidia, did you bring this gun with you?"

"No, I found it here."

Someone else was in here to leave this gun for her. They had been compromised. He looked over to his progeny with a sharp look.

"Eric. Beware."

Eric nodded quickly and gestured towards the window. No, whoever placed the gun here would be observing this window, and the roof. Godric thought quickly, yes, they will leave from separately, through opposite sides of the building, and find quick cover in the shadows before meeting at a rendezvous point they'd planned earlier. Switching to old norse, he shared his plan with his child quickly and in so low a voice only the two of them could hear.

"God speed, father."

"Stay hidden, child."

Godric looked at the girl in his progeny's arms. She was still very much alert and awake.

"We will meet again, little human. Stay awake, yes?"

* * *

**\- . - . -**

Ovidia had no idea what the two men were talking about. Couldn't hear what they were saying too either. She could feel the growing spark of anticipation from the tall guy though. She noticed that his body was really cold as well, like some of the people she came across when she was held captive.

Now that she thought about it, they too had fangs. They hissed a lot, and lisped a lot too. She found it extremely hard to take someone seriously when they had lisps, and laughed in their faces far too often that was healthy for her self-preservation. Most of the injuries she bore were a direct result of her laughter to their bad lisps. They had thought her mad after a while because she would laugh and laugh, but still refused to speak a word. She knew the moment she said a single word, they would begin even more horrendous tortures on her, not that the other torturers had been light about their techniques. The other torturers would abuse her body whatever ways they wanted to in the day, and the cool bodied people with fangs would take over after a while. The room she was in had no windows. She had no idea how long she was held captive, and she wasn't even sure if the meals she was given were even on a daily basis. She had almost lost her mind while in there, if not for the fact that she was always an introverted person, and that she would spend many hours chatting with herself on a usual basis, she could've very well went insane. But. Nope, enough movies had been watched to at least let her come to the conclusion that speaking a single word would render her a death sentence sooner or later.

The ones with fangs had tried making her look into their eyes many times. She sometimes would blurt out shouts and incomprehensible sounds when they asked her questions during the torture sessions. She wasn't sure why she felt compelled to want to tell them anything, but the pain had been so ingrained in her bones that her overly chatty brain was lucid enough to shut up and not say anything even though she _really_ wanted to. She remembered a fanged one coming up to her the night before her escape, and said some things to her with the same mind-numbing feeling washing over her, compelling her to do what she did tonight - look for open windows by escape ladders. To always look for a dock, or an industrial estate, always look for lit up open windows.

She frowned internally as her brain finally linked the mental chains up. _'I was brainwashed.'_ Someone had brainwashed her. She tried to recall who it was but no faces came to mind. Did this person also brainwash her not to remember him? The thought continued repeating itself as she felt the cool body carrying her move towards the door and into the corridor, zipping towards the other escape exit at the end. She paid him no mind, getting lost in her own thoughts about what occurred in the past four weeks and found that she couldn't trust her own thoughts right now.

What if she'd been brainwashed to remember only certain things? What if her mind had been altered? What if she's not actually the person called Ovidia? Who was she then?

She moaned as a stab of pain lanced through her mind. Shutting her eyes, she let her head rest on the man's shoulder. She mutely heard him asking if she was alright, and that they would be safe soon. She didn't know what to trust anymore. Her brain then tried muddling through the pain. Four weeks of torture and abuse allowed her to work through pain quite well by now, to think through it. She retraced the timeline to that night a month and a half ago.

She had been witness to a horrific, brutal fight that led to an all-out massacre at a night club that one singular night she decided she would do something alone by herself just to get out of her apartment. She saw things she didn't know was possible in proper societal existence. Her one prominent thought the whole time that one night was how much of a cluster fuck she was in, the things she had seen was stuff movies were made of, the blood and gore, the violence, _'people changing into wolves left, right, center...'_. She had some how managed to sneak away from it, and ran back home, thinking she would be fine. Everything would be okay.

It had surprised her greatly that the newsrooms hadn't had any reports about the massacre the days following, and that should've been the first sign of trouble she should have keenly picked up on. Which she did. She just didn't know how much trouble she was in. She knew she remembered telling herself it would be fine, everything would be fine, right? Only it wasn't.

She found herself being followed by the same two men from earlier tonight for the rest of that week and the moment she had managed to lose them, she went to Adam. Adam was one of her closest friends whom she always looked to for protection, he would always find ways to clean up her little silly mistakes. She had a knack for weird things to happen to her whenever she least expect them to, and Adam usually would check in on her at the right times to groan at her beguiling bad luck. He had been there to help her when she'd found herself in the hospital for walking into an open manhole. He'd come by for an unannounced visit when when she managed to somehow set her kitchen on fire just trying to boil water. He was also suitably there for her when her side of town had been in chaos from a rather violent riot, arriving at her apartment in a panicked state only to find her huddled in the corner of her bedroom. He'd quickly packed a small duffle bag of clothes and things and extracted her from that crazy part of town, letting her put up in his home until the riots died off. And he'd also been there when, like a bad cliche movie plot, an air-conditioning unit almost dropped on her head. He'd somehow managed to shove her aside, but not enough that the metal corner had left a deep gash in her shoulder.

So, obviously, she had to seek Adam out. He would know what to do. She'd ran to his place, her face streaked in tears from her anxiety. She could remember that clearly. She recalled telling him about the massacre at the club, about the people following her everywhere. She thought he would've called her crazy and would, at the most, hire a bodyguard to keep her safe. However, she recalled her core turn ice cold when she'd noticed that his face had gone ashen pale, and then he shoved her into his closet with some food and two bottles of water, telling her to hide in there until he came back that evening. And whatever it is, she was not to leave the closet until he got home. She'd panicked when not even two hours later, the two men came smashing through the closet doors as if they'd known she would be there, and kidnapped her right out of Adam's home. They'd knocked her out immediately and the next thing she knew was waking up naked in that room with no windows, chained up like an animal, and very drugged.

And thereafter, everything was as detailed as it was a blur. She'd lost sense of time after a while. She took in a deep breath, and cracked open an eye, trying to block out her memories for a bit, and found that Eric was travelling at a very, very, very, inhumanly fast speed. On his very long legs. She couldn't even react to that beyond turning her head to watch everything zip past them. No, them zipping past everything. She blinked when she heard him chuckle lightly, and his arms wrapping around her a little tighter when he suddenly took off into the night sky. Literally. He was flying, like a damn superhero.

The girl squeaked out in surprise and Eric had to stifle his laugh. He'd worried for a moment when he felt her head bury into his chest, shaking her head as though she was disagreeing with her own self, lost in her own mind. He wondered briefly if she'd lost her marbles, and relaxed only when she merely tightened her grip on his shirt as he ran towards the meeting point. Godric was already waiting there, he could feel his maker calling to him.

"Kid, we're almost there."

He felt her nod and sped through the night sky until he spotted Godric standing on a roof top, waiting for them, the door to the stairs already pulled open, landing lightly and zipping down the stairs and into the safe house. Eric quickly paced through the apartment, and found himself in the room he was looking for - the bathroom. He felt Godric closing in behind them and stepped aside as his maker shut the toilet seat cover down, and he placed the tiny human girl to sit on the cover. Godric passed the human a glass of water which she drank from deeply.

"Um..." the girl stared up at the two men awkwardly when she was done drinking, "what are we doing in the bathroom?"

"No windows. No one will be able to see us in here." Eric replied quickly, rummaging around the bathroom for towels and bathing supplies. Godric already had set up some human medical aid items to tend to the girl's more major wounds. He paused when he felt her heart skip a beat out of fear and turned to look at her, "but also, you look like you could clean up."

Eric stood by the bathroom door, his hulking frame taking up quite the fair bit of space as his maker busied himself with the human medical supply kit. They could always give her a bit of blood once Godric was done playing doctor, he mused lightly. He quickly chastised himself, no, she wasn't in so much of a mortal danger that they had to heal her with their blood. It would only be remedied to her only when she had no other exceptions and the state of her health deteriorated enough so that she had to be saved with vampire blood. Eric excused himself from the bathroom, the smell of her blood was enticing him in that confined space. Godric always had much better control between the two of them, he was over a thousand years older than him.

Eric was went straight to the fridge looking for a bottle of True Blood, warmed it up and downed it all too quickly, thinking about how the evening had turned out. He knew he was hardly a kind vampire, but at the turn of the century, Godric had seen to it that he was taught the niceties of being polite, gentle and even, to his own distaste, on how to be caring to someone not of their own blood. It had frustrated him greatly that his maker would want to exude such human tendencies, such _weaknesses_. Being nice never got you anywhere. But, he supposed there would be times where he must exude his maker's desires for him to be more human. He supposed tonight was such a night. He quickly shrugged off his discomfort at his actual ability to be gentle with this tiny human girl. He'd felt Godric's rage when they'd found her injured, her wounds all still bleeding, her skin black and blue, it could only be torture. Instantly, he felt protective of this little human.

_'Whatever it is..'_ Eric thought as he crushed the empty glass bottle in his hands as he held it over the bin, _'Someone is going to pay for this.'_

**\- . - . -**

* * *

**a/n:** I know, I know, it doesn't seem like it's so bad right now, but I promise you it can only get worse! It's not going to be an easy story to read, but I can assure you that the likely chances of this story getting a Happily Ever After is higher than character deaths. Although, that might be fun too.

Anyway, hope you managed to enjoy this first chapter. It will be worth the read, promise!

If you liked this, do follow, or favourite, or both. If you want to, do let me know if you liked it, or if you didn't, you can also let me know as well. :P but honestly, I'd like to try writing something more brutal for once.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"I'll need you to wash up first, I promise you I will not touch you in any untoward manner."

Godric closed the bathroom door as Eric left. He saw the girl merely shrug herself out of her clothes, not bothering to feel self-conscious the way most humans would. Her body had so many bruises under the drying blood and too many cuts and open gashes that it was dark purple, almost black. Only her face was left relatively unharmed, and still, she had scratches on the side of her face. They were fresh so it was possibly created when she had been trying to escape.

As far as he could work his nose around the smell of her blood and her scent, the girl had been touched and used by the men she'd been captured by. His eyes tinged red by the edges as he identified both were, vampire and a few human male seeds on her body. He ventured a sniff and found that he could scent the blood of several vampires from her blood. He clenched his jaw tight as the beast raged within him wildly, wanting to destroy his kind for their appalling savagery.

_'It would make me no less the same, fighting savagery with more savagery.' _

He composed himself as he took his shirt off and followed her into the shower stall that was large enough to fit four people. Trust Eric to be decadent in everything.

Ovidia stood in the shower stall, staring at the pale looking boy before her, watching him put a plastic stool before him, gesturing for her to sit.

"This will hurt, but it is necessary."

She looked up at him as he busied himself with plucking bits of dried twigs and leaves from her hair, and a lot of glass pieces too. She had to run through a glass window that she had tried throwing a fire extinguisher through at the place she was held at. She could hear him growling lowly to himself as he worked quickly for whatever he was thinking about. It wasn't until he gently but firmly had her right arm in his hands, and then he'd been pulling and tugging at her skin that she looked at her arm, finally noticing the nasty pieces of glass sticking out from her skin. She grimaced and finally looked down at her body, allowing herself to take stock of her current set of injuries. If there had to be something she gave up on doing, it was to check out the injuries.

They had been particularly cruel that day she escaped. She could remember the sharp, jagged edge of a serrated knife carving into her back, recalling that she mused how she felt like a turkey on thanksgiving. The fanged guy had taken to a sick pleasure in drawing out her gasps and whimpers more so than screams. She had laughed just then, when her torturer then sank a blade through her body. She had been amazed that he did it with so much skill that it merely went through her body, not touching her organs. She was pretty sure if he did, she would be dying from a ruptured kidney or something. It did truly hurt when he got bored and poked a clean hole into her ribs very slowly, puncturing and sealing it into her lung with a red hot poker. Ovidia felt like both life and death in that moment.

Shuddering, she tried to think about what happened after that. The other men who had walked into the room saw the other superficial burn marks from the poker. And they had taken it on themselves to put their cigarettes out on her skin after that though. Whatever humour she'd kept within her had seen the hilarity of her situation back in that room. There, in that room, was that one man torturing her with a red hot poker, a knife in her abdomen, and burn marks all over her. And then someone pulled the knife out of her, interrupting that torture session, while several men came in to rape her senseless. She wasn't sure if she'd laughed in that moment, but she was quite sure it wasn't a situation to laugh at. Obviously, it hadn't been enough for them, that was just them using her body for their pleasure, they were depraved souls who enjoyed her screams more so than anything while they were in her room. She recalled one man with a closely shaven beard stomping on her shoulder until it was swollen. He had been brutal and angry. Once that action had taken place, it seemed as though it was a free for all for the rest of them, and they took turns raining punches and kicks on her with too much intensity. It had been so very painful, until her brain seemed to have broken itself. She couldn't feel the pain after that.

It had left her broken; being beaten, cut, mutilated, tortured, burned, fondled, touched so many times and always, on the brink of death, and then someone would feed her their blood, and she would suddenly feel so much better. The injuries never fully healed, the fanged ones had seen to it that she would never be strong enough to leave the room.

Her eyes shifted their gaze back onto Godric, studying his features closely. He looked similar to the fanged ones, well, for one, he had the fangs too. And then, the pale, cool skin as well. And although he looked young, he had a different look in his eyes. He was now trying to coax a particularly stubborn dried out patch of fabric from her skin with too much care. It had been some wax they melted onto a nasty cut and slapped a strip of cloth over it hastily. Ovidia mused briefly on the fact that while she could still feel the pain physically, it hadn't hurt that much at all. She stilled his hand and ripped the wax out, handing it to him, not bothering that her arm had blood dribbling over and onto the bathroom floor.

"You are a vampire, right? I remember that there were other fanged people like you when I was still in captive. They made me drink me their blood and it healed me, but never enough to be healed fully. Said that's what they were called."

Godric stiffened at her remark, wondering how many times blood was given to heal the girl and looked at her, and how she was easily given the information. He held the piece of wax with some skin dangling in his hand.

"The blood of a vampire is sacred, little one. Did they drink from you while you had to consume theirs?"

Ovidia nodded, "Um.. Yeah, that's what some of them said too. But, no, they never drank my blood even though they really wanted to. They said someone said they couldn't. They also said that... what was it.. what... was it..."

Godric saw her eyes glaze over, like she was searching in her mind for her memories. Had she been glamoured as well? He grimaced inwardly. _'Obviously she would be. Where there be vampires, there will be glamouring involved.'_ He was guilty of glamouring others as well and noted with a tinge of sadness that she was probably glamoured one too many times. He was genuinely surprised that the human would know that much information. The fact that they hadn't created blood bonds with her left him with little relief, but it was one less thing to worry about. He would have to refrain from glamouring her any further even though it would be so much easier to elicit information from her. No doubt her captors had done the exact same to her.

"Oh. Right... Right. They said it would allow them to find me, I think they would know I'm here by now. One of the nicer guys who could change into a wolf told me that taking an older fanger's blood could override that if I took enough."

_Oh. _Godric's eyes widened slightly. Had he been mistaken? It was rare for heavily glamoured humans to remember anything at all, their minds would be constantly be spaced out, they wouldn't know how to care for themselves after a while. He'd assumed she would be the case, which was why he was standing before her, trying to take care of her. He also didn't think to at least override the other bloods in her system, and cursed at himself for the oversight.

"You mean to say, these other vampires, they just gave you all this information freely?"

She blinked and nodded, _mm-hmm_-ing back at him. _'Well. That's just... absurd.'_ He was once again surprised at the lack of restrain in secrecy with those vampires. Clearly, they weren't very bright. Now though, he _had _to ask her. He moved over to her other arm to inspect the cuts, they weren't as extensive as her previous arm, but there were many deep burn marks branding her purpled skin.

"Ovidia, were you glamoured while you were there?"

"Glamoured?" she tilted her head to the side, letting the word roll off her tongue as if it were the first time she'd heard it. Godric was partly amused to watch the girl, almost as if the gears in her mind were starting to chug and turn.

"You mean, like, brain wash me?"

He nodded, yes, that could describe the basis of glamouring.

"Oh yes, they've tried to brain wash me one too many times. It was how I managed to find that room you found me in. This one fanged guy, vampire, right? He brainwashed me real good the night before I managed to escape. I feel so violated by that."

Godric stared at her impassively, "I am sorry you had to go through that. How did you manage to keep your sanity when they were trying to glamour you?"

"I dunno, I mean, I've never let them get into my head totally. Not really, anyway. I'm not even sure anymore."

The girl had shrugged nonchalantly, and prodded at a scabbing slash on her thigh, her thoughts brought back to her previous questions on her being brainwashed.

"I don't even know if I am who I'm supposed to be. They could've very well brainwashed me into thinking that I'm Ovidia, and maybe I've always been there, or maybe I've only been there for a few days. I don't know, I lost track of time for a while. For all I know, I could be a Jenna, or a Rebecca, or even an Emily. I mean, I dunno what I am or who I am. I'm starting to question my own perspective. They were very convincing, you know."

Ovidia's face fell into a grimace as she picked at the scab and a droplet of blood appeared. When Godric remained silent, she took it as a cue to continue speaking out her thoughts.

"They always got into my head, but there was one part in my mind that always fought against it, always telling me to fight it off. So I did. They've never ever managed to get me to speak a word though. I suppose that's a good thing too. They would've killed me sooner, right? But the last guy to.. glamour me?" She glanced up at him, to see if she got the word right, and continued when he nodded, "He was really good at it. But I think he did it to help me, he told me to always look for lit up rooms with open windows next to escape ladders in between alleyways, and to always go to a dock or an industrial estate to look for these rooms. Maybe his intent was strong enough that I couldn't deny his compelling."

Godric shifted on his feet, contemplating this new injection of knowledge, his mind working quickly. A few things.

One - Ovidia had to have a strong mental capacity, enough to block out the weaker glamours, that much was evident.

The fact that she was lucid to have a seemingly proper conversation was a feat on its own, but that she began to question her own identity was a little worrying. She was definitely Ovidia, just based on the profile they'd managed to draw up before finally managing to meeting her tonight. Whether she was the same girl before she was kidnapped, that much he would not know. He could only assume that she would never be the same person again.

Two - She knew too much.

Godric knew that the supernatural community to be an extremely secretive one, their very existence to the human community, were a complete work of fiction. He had no doubt that Ovidia may have had something about her that may have compelled the weres and vampires to have told her so much about their world. Perhaps, her having witness and their inability to properly glamour her made them give up on their rules. With the amount of damage her body had been bearing, it would only be too soon that she would die, and they would either change her or dump the body.

Three - She may or may not have a blood bond initiated on her against her will.

He didn't know whether to trust the fact that she may or may not have had a blood bond, he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't know how to recognise the inner workings of one, but he hoped that his blood would be enough to override a weak bond. A blood tie using his blood would definitely enough to override blood ties.

And lastly - This other vampire had been extremely specific about his instructions.

It would be someone that knew of all their hideouts. This would be someone close to them. He frowned. It was a likely possibility that this vampire had provided Ovidia with that strange gun. He looked unseeingly at the naked girl, and recalled the two men being eviscerated by the alley way while they were in the room with Ovidia. He wasn't sure if Eric had posted other vampires around the area as sentry while they tended to the girl, but it could be likely that whoever glamoured the girl with her spontaneous self-preservation had helped them again just now.

Whatever the situation was right now, Godric had to conclude that they had to be extremely careful even in their own safe locations. Their next moves had to be calculated in the extreme.

"You're most definitely Ovidia, little one. Do not doubt that, your face matches up to the name we've been searching for. And you're quite right with the blood of an older vampire being able to override another's. I should have been more circumspect about your situation, I had not thought to factor in that others of my kind would have held you captive."

He frowned against having to spill his blood for a human, but the current situation was vastly different from what he'd set the requirement out to be. Sure, he wasn't contemplating on changing the girl, but he will give her enough to override the other bloods, and heal her of her injuries quickly while at it. Seemed like the medical supplies were not to be used. But first he had to study the torture that had been inflicted on her body, perhaps he could pick out the more prominent ones he'd come across in the past.

Godric stepped around and looked the injuries on her back carefully. It had been similarly been littered with cuts made by knives with different edges, the bleeding holes in her ribs were deep enough that he could see into her lungs. Godric felt his blood boil at the sight. He knew exactly who he was dealing with. At least, he could identify the one vampire who did this to her. He tried to think of who would beat a person until they were black and blue, and leave her scarred with all those cigarette marks but came up with no leads. He could only assume the weres were responsible for this, and filed the question away to ask Ovidia when they were at least hidden in a safer location.

He stood closer to Ovidia's back to allow her better access to his forearm. He let his fangs out with a click quickly.

"We'll need to rectify your blood tie situation. I will override their blood."

"You sure? They were pretty old vampires. Always bragging about who was older while they were..." Ovidia trailed off and her eyes glazed over again. Godric was certain she wasn't glazing over because of glamour, but because of the abuse she'd been put through. He gently nudged a small uninjured spot in her shoulder, snapping her out of her reverie.

"I'm well over two thousand years old. That would be old enough, no?" He smiled as she snapped her gaze up to his face, her eyes wide. He bit into his forearm and let it hover at her lips.

"That's a lot older than all of them."

"Mhm. Now drink, before it closes. I will stop you when the blood has been overridden."

He watched her closely as she brought her lips to his bleeding forearm and latched onto the wound lightly, and it alarmed him slightly when it took him well into several minutes to feel the blood tie form in the girl. How many of those savage vampires had fed her their blood that it would take this long for his blood to override theirs? He could feel the monster within him rile against the cage he'd locked it in, and a low growl escaped his lips as he read into the girl's emotions. She was feeling primarily, exhausted, as she rightly was. She was also feeling lost, burdened, maddened, unsure, afraid, insecure, numb. She still did not feel safe. Godric looked down at her and gently pried his arm from her, watching as the smaller wounds closed up quickly, the scratches on her face smoothed over as he brought his fingers to the scabs that were on her face and brushed them off gently.

The larger wounds were starting to sew themselves shut and he noticed that it would take a while more before they would be completely healed. They could sit and wait a few more minutes before he can leave her to shower on her own. Her intact mind seemed extremely promising to him. He smiled at the girl, quite pleased with his blood's healing properties.

"Looks like we don't have to put you through more pain tonight. You should be able to shower in a few minutes once the larger wounds have sealed shut."

He brushed off the scabs that had been from the dried out slash on her thigh and heard her sigh in relief.

"Yes, thank you very much, I do feel the difference."

He nodded and move to put his shirt back on slowly, watching her body's healing progress from the corner of his eyes. He went back into the shower stall to inspect the previously larger wounds, they were now angry red marks, and still healing.

"I would have preferred to leave you to shower on your own, so you may have your privacy back. However, I'm afraid we do not have that luxury of time in our favour tonight. I will clear these while you shower. Do hurry, we must leave this apartment, I fear we are no longer safe here."

He gestured to the supplies on the sink and counter top, and nodded for her to start showering as he quickly gathered up the medical supplies, dumping them back into the box that he had set aside earlier on. He glanced over at her quickly when she'd yelped from the hot water. He'd felt her shock and pain from the scalding water and chuckled to himself as she cursed at the shower head before leaving the bathroom to discuss his new findings and plans with Eric.

It was about fifteen minutes later that Ovidia stepped back out into the living room her bare feet padding softly over to the two men, her wounds all healed fully, and she felt better than she had in ages. She noticed a pair of canvas loafers on the floor by the sofa, and an energy bar placed next to a bottle of water on the coffee table.

"Good, you're done. Put these on, we'll leave immediately once you've had these."

Eric stood briskly, pointing to the shoes and rations before picking up the bags and suitcases he'd managed to pack while waiting for the girl to shower. Godric was still on the phone making arrangements to leave his sheriff duties to his team, along with securing a safe location outside of the country for a few weeks.

Eric handed Godric the suitcases, and a lighter duffel bag to the little human girl, picking up the remaining bags, motioning for her to come over to him.

"Ready when you are, Godric. Shall we leave together, or should I go on ahead?"

"We move together."

"Very well."

"Hop on then, princess." She stared at him wide eyed, "Yes, you. We haven't got much time to waste. Godric will be our look out, so you will need to hang on to that bag and this suitcase for me."

He quickly slung the bags across his shoulders, and picked Ovidia up, and picked up one other bag, mumbling his displeasure at being a porter for the night. Godric would have chuckled at the expense of Eric's grumblings, but he quickly took off into the night, floating a few feet above the building.

"Hurry up, we don't have to waste and there is much ground to cover. We must make haste." Godric called out to his progeny in Swedish, nodding in the direction they were to head towards, "Head that way until you see reservation grounds, there will be a small entrance to cave just twenty miles north-west of the forest entrance. We'll make camp in there tonight. I'll go ahead and see what I can do to make it more comfortable."

Eric nodded as he watched Godric streak ahead. He was barely a spot in the sky before he looked down at the girl in his arms, "Well, this isn't quite the way I expected to seduce a human girl tonight, not that I had plans to seduce you." He chuckled she blushed and held on to the human a little tighter, briefly wondering if she was worth all this trouble and recalled that human, Adam's desperate pleas, and the fact that this girl could very well lead them to the wolves they were searching for, if they were the ones he was in fact chasing after.

"Close your eyes and don't forget to breathe, _Viddie_. It's going to be an extremely fast ride. If you like your roller coasters, this would be a hundred times more fun." He started gaining speed, and before long he was chasing after his maker's shadow in the night sky.

* * *

**\- . - . -**

Ovidia found herself to be sleeping days more than nights these days. She yawned as she woke up just before sunset, her eyes still blurry with sleep as she shuffled her way into the sizeable bathroom in the bedroom she was in. Godric had led them out of the country in the shadows of the night, to the safety of this rather nondescript house in the middle of an evergreen forest.

She shook her head and stepped into the bathroom, stubbing her toe into the door and let forth a string of rather explicit swearwords, her frustrations more at her own angst rather than the stubbing in her foot. She had still been unable to feel much pain since being healed by Godric. She had taken to experimenting on her own, trying to figure out her threshold for pain. It wasn't until Eric had found her bleeding out with a letter knife sticking out from her thigh that the two vampires had kept all the sharps away from her. She hadn't felt a single bit of pain, she told them. Just curious was all. But obviously they had decided to treat her with kid gloves ever since then. Godric had made Eric give her some of his blood so that either one of them would know where she was exactly at all times since then.

She made quick work in shedding off her clothes, turning around to stare at her body in the mirror. There were scars littering her entire back, the skin gleaming and shiny where she had been marked with whips and knife cuts, branded by cigarettes and heated pokers and branding irons. Godric's blood had not been able to get rid of these scars, she noted dispassionately. Her fingers grazing over a particularly raised bump by her ribs, tracing the pattern of the brand mark lightly, her mind sparking the memory when she'd gotten that painful scar. Her eyes roamed to each and every scar that she could see in the mirror, each scar igniting the memory of her torture and she felt the lump forming in her throat as she dashed away the tears building behind her eyes and hurried behind the shower door, quickly turning the hot water on.

It had done nothing to ease the memories away, in fact, the scalding liquid drove her deeper into her recollections. She shuddered in the heat and humidity of the shower room, suddenly and finally feeling the weight of sin crashing down on her as she let her tears escape through her closed eyelids. _'No. They're not winning.' _She snapped her eyes open, grabbing the scrubbing sponge, lathering it up quickly and started scrubbing at her skin roughly over the first scars she could lay her eyes on. She had put so much vehemence into her task that when she finally stepped back into the stream of hot water, she gasped at the raw pain of it. It was enough for her to finally let out her mind's betrayal of falling into that black pit of disgust and depravity that her body had been put through.

The vampires that had saved her, Eric and Godric, she now knew that they had been doing everything to keep her occupied so she wouldn't sink into this disparity. The kid gloves, the whole nightly lessons of the moon and the stars, the whole regaling her stories of their past lifetimes. It had all kept her mind away from thinking about her torment. Even they couldn't save her from what her mind would automatically revert to in the day time when she was left alone to herself.

Ovidia curled her naked self into the corner of the shower room, the hot water running out and slowly cooling off until she was basked in the shower stream of icy cold water. She felt her own shivering but did little to do anything about it as she hugged her legs into her chest a little tighter, her arms wrapped around protectively.

And that was exactly how Eric had found her an hour later when he came barging into her room looking for her. He had loudly demanded to know what she was up to, but when he had finally unlocked the bathroom door and was greeted by the sight before him, rocking herself to and fro, muttering to herself incomprehensibly, he was at a lost for words. He was nudged aside when Godric came up next to him, curious as to why his progeny had clearly not said anything to the human girl, neither had the water been turned off. The two vampires studied the shivering mess huddled in the corner of the cold shower room, Eric clearly feeling out of his league and discomfort was clearly etched on his face as he mumbled about getting towels and some warm clothes. The older vampire nodded at his progeny, once again taking the role of caregiver for the mentally fragile human.

* * *

**\- . - . -**

He quickly shut off the icy water and studied her. Her skin was raw and bleeding in some areas where she had scratched it rather aggressively. Godric had wondered when she'd finally breakdown in this manner, and it had been a long time coming. He had told Eric that the fall out from such breakdowns could be a rather consuming process for them, given how they had such little experience with humans. Eric had suggested bringing Adam in, since the human male was the one who brought this mess to them, but Godric disagreed, their location would be unnecessarily exposed. They would do what they can for her, glamour her if they had to. From what little Godric had read up on abuse victims, it was that they needed to be cared for entirely because they would retreat into their minds, the constant engagement in communication would be the most ideal course of action, but should the victim end up self-harming themselves, they had to be on watch constantly. It was something Godric wasn't looking forward to because as a vampire, Eric and he couldn't keep awake during the day.

He took the shower head down from its holding place and switched the water to lukewarm, picking up a shampoo bottle and made quick work in lathering it into the girl's hair. He thought back to the times he had suffered as an abuse victim himself, two millenniums ago. He had remembered that all he wanted was to hide in a corner like what Ovidia had done, but more so than anything else, he wished someone had looked out for him, and cared for him. The current situation allowed for the girl to have him as her caretaker, and he didn't quite mind it, knowing it would've been something he wished he had if he was in her position right now.

Godric treated the girl gently, humming an old tune that he found to be comforting for him on days he felt the odd tug of nostalgia when he was reminded of his human childhood. It was now but a blurry, fuzzy sort of image in his mind, but he still felt the happy, peaceful life he once had, growing up by the water's edge in his little primeval village. It seemed to have calmed the girl sitting in front of him as her mutterings faded off into the occasional sniffle or shuddered gasps for air. He smiled softly and rinsed her hair out attentively as her mind came back into the present.

He picked up a soft sponge and ran it over her scarred back all too gently, the action completely without ill intent, it was cleansing and healing and she seemed to pick up on that as her tensed shoulders relaxed visibly, his calming hum furthering her relaxed state as he sponged her arms tenderly.

Godric never thought in his entire depraved existence that he would one day end up becoming a caregiver for a broken human. He still didn't understand why he would not just drop her off at some safe house with her human friend and leave them be, instead here he was, humming an old childhood lullaby, sponging this fragile human who seemed to know too much for her own good, who seemed to stand in the middle of nothing while being thrown into chaos and troubles too big for her little feet to walk in. Perhaps it was the whole fragility of it, her quiet perseverance behind her broken mind that spurred him to believe that she was worth all this effort. He ran the lukewarm water over the suds on her skin, his cool hand running over her raw skin, his touch soothing to her.

Once he was done, he zipped out to pick up a large towel and promptly wrapped her up in it, and in another instant, he had her deposited on top of the closed toilet seat, towelling her hair dry, taking his time in dressing her. The girl had intrigued him with her lack of chastity but still retained an aura of purity about her. He studied the scars on her body. He had been curious about the ones that he had not been able to get rid of with his blood because they had not been allowed to heal fully by her captors. He recognised a few of the branding marks, already noting which vampires had been responsible for her scars. He had a rough idea of the group that was behind the massacre now. It would take him a bit more searching and digging but they would be able to kill two birds with one giant stone at this rate, he noted with grim satisfaction.

Godric led a silent Ovidia back out to the bedroom, pushing her shoulders down, having her sit on the edge of the bed. Eric had picked out a snug t-shirt and some loose sweats, even provided a fluffy cardigan which Godric had wrapped her in. She didn't know what to say to the ancient boy vampire as he stood leaning against the wall, staring at her, expecting her to say something. She dropped her gaze to her hands in her lap and let out a sigh, her lips turning downwards into a pout.

"sorry.." she finally muttered, feeling rather subdued by her own demons. The boy vampire remained quiet and so very still. She knew he was giving her space while being close by. She didn't need that sort of coddling. Okay, perhaps she needed a little of it. But she really shouldn't continue being this fragile. It was unlike herself. She was used to being what the media had portrayed the modern stereotypical 19 year old not-a-girl-not-quite-adult-woman to be - fun-loving _'no, not quite'_, independent _'yes, yes, definitely. but now that's out the window.'_, friendly _'debatable'_, all-American young adult female. She sighed heavily. So she wasn't quite the stereotype, but she was definitely more louder than life than what she was right about now.

"What are you sorry about, Ovidia?" The boy vampire finally spoke after a length. She glanced up at him quickly, her lips pursed in her own mirth.

"I'm not like... this.. usually." She gestured at the bathroom and shook her head, her previous feelings of disgust and cheapness threatening to knock themselves back into play.

"It was a long time coming. It had to happen some time." Godric replied evenly. Ovidia looked back at him, shrugging.

"Perhaps. But I'm still not usually this... weird.." She tore her gaze away and planted her eyes on the detailing on the rosewood post of the bed. She rolled her eyes as she thought back to the last two hours, snorting in a rather unladylike manner, "I guess given I was put through the whole torture and rape pace while being kidnapped kind gave me some rather nasty demons to battle."

Godric shot an eyebrow up at the girl's self-deprecation. She had skipped through a few steps in the whole abuse victim phase. Usually after self-harm they went through a bout of depression and suicidal tendencies, and then they would lash out in violence at some point before the whole self-deprecating thing came into play. Maybe she was just different and playing things up here and there. He berated himself immediately for thinking that she would take this as a game. No, he would still continue to handle her with the kid gloves until she was on her feet. If that meant her skipping a few steps, he was more than glad for that. He pushed away from the wall and walked the few feet at human speed over to the girl, sitting down next to her, letting his fingers tug at the tips of her long hair gently, attempting to untangle a knotted bit.

"I haven't told you much about when I was captured as a human boy, and then sold as a slave, did I?"

She shook her head and he let a sad smile play across his features as he quietly spoke of the similar experience he had in his memories. It was never an easy tale to tell, given how he had suffered even after he'd been turned. His slave master turned out to be his maker as well. The things he was put through for that depraved, disgusting excuse of an existence. He had since done everything to let go of the anger and disgust, but the pain would forever stay with him.

"I wished I had someone to be there for me when I was in your position." He admitted softly for the first time in his long undead life, "Someone to have held me, taken care of me. I know that is merely wishful thinking since it's been all said and done, but I find so much of myself in you when I look at you and I want to be here for you, at least until you get back on your feet, and until we've gotten this mess behind you."

He stroked the girl's now tangle-free locks, the motion was soothing for the both of them, "I'm sorry you had to go through all that pain, dear little Ovidia. You should have never been put through that, but somehow you managed to live through them. That is strength in itself, you must know that."

She nodded slowly, taking in his words. She knew Godric was someone of little words, and the fact that he had literally poured his heart and thoughts out to her, she wanted to absorb everything thoroughly.

"I think I will be alright in a bit, won't I?" She let a tiny smile twitch over her lips, playing with the cuff of the fluffy cardigan. Godric nodded back at her, his face slipping back into the usual passive appearance, but his eyes were kind. Her stomach growled rather audibly at that moment and she flushed at the amused look that took over in his eyes.

"Guess it's time to feed the human." she muttered as she stood up, her ears hot with her stomach's grumbles. She turned to look at Godric, pausing to take in his handsome features.

"Thank you, Godric... for taking care of me.. You didn't need to, I would've worked up enough sense to get out of that shower soon enough. But thank you for being there. It means a lot to me." She leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his cheek, and drew back to see the look of surprise written on his face. "Umm, yeah, my way of thanks..." She smiled at him nervously but he had already composed himself again, and had a pleased smiled on his lips.

"You're much welcomed, little one.", the older vampire led her out to the main living space, "Although I think Eric deserves some thanks too, don't you agree?"

Ovidia chuckled at the boyish smile and cheeky glint in his eyes as they walked into the kitchen where the hulking Viking sat at the small table, tapping away on the laptop he was working on. Eric looked up as the two of them walked in.

"What do I deserve?" the tall blonde god of a vampire smirked as he spied his maker's amusement.

"Ovidia's pleasant way of thanking us for taking care of her." Godric commented lightly, pushing her to sit down as he flipped through a rather thick and old looking cookbook. "Why don't you thank Eric, I'll find something suitable to cook. We might not eat but we can most certainly smell."

Ovidia's brows furrowed together as she stared at the boy vampire attempting to hide the scrunching of his nose as he picked up a piece of raw meat. She turned over to the younger vampire who shrugged his broad shoulders nonchalantly, promptly turning his focus back to his laptop and she hurried around the kitchen counter.

"I may have my demons to battle, Godric, but cooking is not one of them I find a challenge with the way you seem to be handling." She took the meat out of the vampire's hands, who looked relieved at being shooed to the sink to wash his hands, but weakly argued that she was not to be left alone with sharp objects, which she then told him he could stay and observe so that, god forbid, she would not blow his kitchen up in an attempt at boiling water.

Ovidia rolled her eyes and started chopping up the meat neatly as both vampires chuckled at her returning humour, and for once, since waking up that day, since meeting these two oddly friendly vampires, she finally felt like herself once more.

* * *

**a/n:** Thank you for reading and for the reviews, I fully appreciate your candour and interest! :)

I'm glad that this is being picked up by plenty of you, it's quite an experiment writing about darker themes, given I live a pretty sheltered life to begin with. I'm actually enjoying the whole process, and it's a total experience to have other chapters written out but they all don't fit into the current time line just yet.

I haven't forgotten about my other story, 'godric's propensity', and I should update that one in a few days. Stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_"So... you're the girl everyone's been fuckin' with, eh?" _

_She trembled involuntarily as her body hung limply by the manacles on the wall, her weight supported by her chaffed wrists. She was pretty sure her wrists were broken by now, she no longer felt anything from her digits. She had sneaked a peek at her right hand once during the past few hours, they looked weirdly blue and pale. But back into the current moment, she shivered and trembled, the cold was keeping her in the now, along with the dull pain in her ribs that didn't seem to fade over time. _

_The rough hand that gripped painfully into her hair pulled her face upwards to face the gruff voice speaking to her. _

_"Oh, she's a pretty one. What I could do to those gorgeous lips of hers..." _

_"Don't mess with the face. King's orders."_

_"Yeah? What if I do touch that pretty little kisser of hers?"_

_"Then you'll get the worst beating you'll ever know. The last guy who planted his dick on her cherry lips got his pecker cut off, and beaten half to death."_

_"Shit. That's fucked."_

_"You tell me."_

_"Then what the fuck can we do to her?"_

_"Anything but the face, got it?"_

_"Fine. No touchin' the face then."_

_She heard the men mumble amongst themselves but couldn't make out their words, but she could feel his rough hands still fondling over her body. She cracked an eyelid open, her vision poor and blurry from being in the dark for too long. For the life of her, she couldn't focus her eyes on the men's faces, like she conveniently forgot their features, she really didn't want to remember how they looked like to begin with. They all had the same look of brutality about them. But their voices. Oh that, she could recall their voices well. They all held different emotions behind their voices. Their intent was usually clear to her whether she would be getting off easier than the previous or the next man. _

_The man with the gruff tenor voice was just there to slap her around, he was horny, and judging the way he was speaking to her, he was bound to be rough. True enough, he was now touching her sex forcibly. It hurt because she wasn't ready, and so very dry. 'What a dickhead. I bet if I were his size I'd totally kick his fucking ass to next week. I swear if he-' She never got to finish her thought as she felt a dull force whack into her stomach, rendering her breathless for a few seconds. She drew in a gasping breath, clenching her ab muscles as tightly as she could. She didn't need to be educated too many times to see a pattern forming with these torturers of hers. _

_They wouldn't only punch her once, they usually came in the dozens. True enough, another heavy fist met her abdomen, and even though she had sort of expected it, she had no prior boxing training to have had prepared her for the force behind that hit. She bit back a groan when he'd landed a fist into her already aching ribs, hearing a crack from within. This would be the fifth time she felt a rib piercing into her lung. Another painful punch landed directly at her stomach as she tried to curl herself into the wall, her restrains not allowing her much movement at all. A bit of her stomach acids was forced up her throat, spilling out her mouth and onto the man's boot._

_"Fucking dry pussy. Maybe your stomach juices will help you wet things up, eh?" _

_She heard the men in the room laugh much too loudly for her liking, and watched as he bent down to his shoe, swiping at the liquid with his fingers before thrusting them roughly into her sex again. She let out a pained cry and their chuckling turned into roaring laughs, her pain their entertainment. _

_Her mind was reeling from the horrors that would come next. A rather jaded part of her chided her self, telling her she ought to have gotten used to it by now. Ever since she'd been woken up by someone's kicks to her ribs, she'd been used for these men's sexual pleasures for god knows how long. She managed to pick up a pattern. Her abusers were mostly male. They were human men, werewolves, were-somethings, and pale fanged ones. The werewolves were always telling her about how the fangers will do shit to her. And she had laughed at them. The pale, fanged men usually were more entertaining than the human men and weres. _

_She heard zippers come undone, and her manacles on the wall were released as she dropped unceremoniously to the ground in a heap, feeling a dread rising in the pit of her gut. 'No. Not again. No... ugh. no. Why is this happening to me again. No.. please. god. no.' She pleaded silently, and winced when she was dragged by her hair and tossed hard on to the thin sorry excuse of a mattress in the middle of the room, her shoulder taking the brunt of the throw. It hurt, but a slight roll as she was pushed onto her back told her it was just a superficial injury. It wasn't broken, or dislocated. Just bruised hard. She heard the man mutter at how he was going to fuck her dumb by the time he was done with her and she almost snorted. Almost. She couldn't find the energy to actually do it. _

_'Remind me never to keep my hair long ever again.' she stared up at the ceiling through the man's head, her eyes unseeing as she felt him push into her too quickly, and way too roughly, listening to him grunting like the animal that he was, soon feeling his hands rain heavy slaps on her thighs and ass like it spurred him on. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. The only time she did that had earned her a strangulation, and that was not something she wanted to endure any time soon. Her self-preservation had at least warned her as much. _

_'God, at least let me keep my wits and sanity about me after this ends. And please, don't don't don't let me get a baby out of this. I would kill it. I swear I will.' she prayed to the silent omnipotence, her thoughts wry but pleading. She closed her eyes and sighed, releasing physical hold of her body in her mind. His member was large and foreign inside her, and as much as it was painful, he was hitting her in that right spot that her body wasn't able to deny the 'pleasure' she was supposed to be feeling in such acts. It was anything but pleasurable. Just an act of sex. She soon felt her lower muscles fluttering as she hit her climax, squeezing around the man's penis tightly as he too roared into his own release, his hot seed pumping into her deeply. _

_She thought about just closing herself off into the darkness that she so desperately wanted to escape into, but the man had slapped her cheek roughly, her neck whipping to the side while he did so, a painful red hand print on her cheek soon bloomed._

_"What the fuck. Milton, you fucking piece of shit. Not the fucking face!" _

_She felt the man's heavy weight being suddenly lifted off her and opened her eyes slightly, watching the man get beaten up roughly by a group of others. She wanted to snicker at the sight. It rather reminded her of the monkey ladder psychology experiment she recently read about. About how some monkeys were put together, and when one was smart enough to get the treat atop the ladder, the rest would get wet by a sprinkler, and soon enough, whenever one monkey tried to get the treat from the ladder, the rest would beat him up. Despite the fact that a new monkey being introduced, who would try to climb up that ladder, the rest of the monkeys would beat him up. Even when they switched it up and introduced a different race of monkey, the results were the same. _

_'Bunch of monkeys. What idiots.' she softly chuckled, but it came out more like a heavy breath instead. _

_"Where you lookin' at, sweet cheeks? I'm not done with you even if they are. Though you smell like a disgusting mix of body ordour and vomit because of him. Now, what's this I hear that you've seen something you shouldn't have, love. That's just really too bad now, is it?" _

_The girl turned her gaze to the new voice. She let her eyes look into his dully for a long while. It usually irked them out, not the fangers, but the rest of them. The fangers could usually hold her gaze until they started trying to muddle in her mind, then she would blink and look away as soon as she could. This new voice must be a fanger. He was holding her gaze steadily as she was. She felt her lips twitch upwards in amusement as she let her eyes drop to his lips, she was correct, this man had a fanged grin on his face._

_His voice was light, and melodious. 'All the fangs have nice voices.' she rolled her eyes inwardly, noting that some of them, the ones with the crazier than crazed looks in their eyes, had an awkward time trying to talk when their fangs protruded out of where their upper canines were supposed to be. As an avid meat eater herself, she could somewhat relate when they would sometimes get too passionate in their long winded speeches and accidentally bite into their lips, drawing blood and a few well selected curses that even she found impressive. She tried to remember what she had read about mythical creatures with really long canines were called, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall it right now, like, when she really needed to._

_"You find it amusing, don't you? I'll show you amusing in a bit." _

_This fanger's lisp wasn't too prominent. He must've gotten used to his elongated canines. She actually found it in herself to shrug lightly and brought her hand up to her pulsing cheek, rubbing at it gently, though her fingertips felt nothing, her face burned. She took a shallow breath, unwilling to want to feel the intense pain in her lungs. She could feel it starting to fill up with blood. _

_"I'll heal that up for you once I'm done, that's the benefit of my kind, don'tcha agree?"_

_She nodded once, and let her hand drop back down on the thin mattress. For whatever reasons, they seemed to enjoy spilling her blood, and some like spilling their blood as well. She had once briefly wondered if their whole race had a kinky fetish of blood play, but it seemed to go beyond that. They practically treated it like a whole ritual, or almost, like a sacred passionate exchange. It still sort of gave her the creeps but she knew better than to ask about it. She was sure they would freak out the moment she said anything. She hadn't said __anything__ since they'd knocked her out and brought her here. _

_The__ fanger pushed her head back to the side, his cold cheek brushing on her heated, slapped one and she let out a breath of relief from the odd comfort she found in his rather soft gesture. 'Perhaps this fanged one would be gentle', she hoped, but of course, hope didn't have a place within these four windowless walls because not only did he savagely sink his fangs into her neck, he practically plundered into her violently, his raging member even larger in both girth and length than the previous man's. She let out a strangled scream, and struggled beneath his hold as he slammed into her womb painfully, repeatedly. He had been quite the largest so far. He growled the whole time while he drank from her neck forcefully, her neck throbbing, her heart pounding rapidly and loudly in her ears. She heard herself gurgle as the blood in her lungs started to block out her airways. _

_"Shit, she's dying! Feed her your fucking blood now, dammit!"_

_As soon as the fanged one heard her airways choke up on itself, he tore his mouth away from her neck roughly, still pounding into her and bit into his arm, letting his blood drip through her gasping lips. _

_"Swallow the blood. Take me in you!" _

_It must've turned the man on, because as she swallowed his sickeningly sweet blood, he plundered into her even faster, his other free hand drawing long scratches down her sides painfully, but she felt them heal as he did so. She kept her gaze on his as she reached up to his arm, latching her lips over the bite as her body regained its strength. She soon felt her body getting properly aroused by his blood as she found her legs wrapping around his thighs. He growled for her and pried his arm from her lips. She should've known better than to drink too much. She felt almost perfectly healthy right now. But that also meant she would feel everything all too well. _

_And right now, she could feel her arousal peaking more than it had in hours, and the fanged man was too as well, his member swelling even more so in her, it felt so painfully good as she grabbed on to his hips, pushing him deeper into her, moaning loudly. She was completely unaware that the other men have gathered around to watch the two of them finish off. Her eyes rolling to the back of her head and she arched into his body, her orgasm sending her into a billion shocks as he continued pumping into her at a speed that she didn't care too much that was inhumanly quick. It felt good. So good. It was after she had hit her third climax in that sitting that she felt a pair of hands pull at her nipples roughly, tweaking and mauling at her breasts. At that point, it had all felt too good to be a torture, she had to muse about when she had become so wanton, actually enjoying her torture. This fanged man had been so right about her being amused, for reasons not quite as completely accurate as his intention, but she was amused none the less. She panted as she felt fangs biting into her both her breasts and was surprised to see two more fanged men latching onto her body. It was an all too erotic sight for her and she felt them send her into another spiralling release, her cries wanton climaxing the first fanged man's pillaging as he grunted above her, his member thrusting into her one final time, jetting his seed into her womb directly for a long minute, and she couldn't help but gasp at the initial odd sensation. _

_"Well, well, well. Seems like she's a total... fangbanger, this one." _

_A clear, pitched voice sounded into her ears as she tried to catch her breath, the two fanged men still licking at the puncture wounds on her breasts, each lick causing yet another drop of blood to slip out, the other man with his member still lodged painfully in her womb, his penis still very much pumping his seed into her, although it was not as forceful as it was a few moments ago. _

_"Leave us."_

_This new person must be the boss that the men have been talking about, because it didn't take more than five seconds for the room to clear, the rushing around the room for the exit taking the stench of testosterone and lust out with them. It felt as if for a moment a vacuum was left in the room instead, and if she had still been unhealed from the fanged man's blood, she might've slipped into the depths of darkness. Currently, she could still take in a light sip of oxygen as the air settled in from the door again. _

_"You have been rather evasive for the better part of this week, my dear little Ovidia." she heard his voice coming from the left side where she laid and felt cold fingers trace up her calf to her hip slowly, her chest heaving from her latest exertion. She tried to lift her head up to look at the speaker but soon found another cold hand pressing her shoulder back down into the floor, a new body crouching next to her on the right._

_"Tell us little Ovidia," the new body's rich soothing voice floating into her ears, she found her eyes roaming on a pleasantly Mediterranean face smiling down at her sweetly, "Tell us what you saw the other night at the nightclub. You were there, weren't you?" She frowned slightly at the sight. 'Were captors supposed to look this kind?', and instantly she gulped nervously, even more so unwilling to utter a single noise at this point. She felt her breath hitching as she tried to sit up, only to have the Mediterranean man's pressure on her shoulder strengthen just slightly. _

_"Hmm? Perhaps we should take this upstairs and clean it up. It looks like it could do with a shower. It positively stinks of animals and faeces in here." _

_The Mediterranean man let his gaze wonder around the room where he was facing, his features turning into a scowl of distaste. She let out a strangled gasp as she felt the first man's fingers trail to her sex, rubbing her in a way that felt more like a doctor's probing rather than the way an oversexed male would. _

_"Darling, what are you doing touching it?" The second man whispered angrily as his own fingers dug into her shoulder a little painfully. He was obviously unhappy about the man touching her. _

_"Just curious, you know. How many men have been in this little thing's overused cunt by now, even though she's only been here for a little over a week." _

_Her eyes widened as she watched the man remove his hand from her crotch only to bring his fingers to his nose to inhale deeply and then taste them. __'Ugh, gross. That's... ugh... eww... seriously. oh, good heavens, is he really?! Ewwww!', she frowned, her face in open disgust as the pale man on the left dipped his fingers back into her folds, and deeper into her pussy, now leaking with too many men's ejaculations. She squirmed as he curled and rotated his fingers within her folds, and he let out a delighted laugh._

_"Oh, sweetheart, you should have a feel for this, she is so positively tight, and oh my, she is just swimming in seed inside her!" _

_If she could just vomit, she would have. Twice. She thought being violated by those numerous faceless men was more than enough, and now she had to be subjected to even more humiliation by this weird boss man they reported to. She felt a tear slip from the corner of her eyes as she flashed a look of desperation at the man on her right. Instinctively latching onto his frustrations to get herself out of this, she grabbed onto his hand on her shoulder. It got his attentions as he glanced down at her, his eyes holding a rage before softening at her plight._

_"Husband, stop that. It's obviously upset, how am I supposed to get any sort of information from her if you traumatise her beyond help?" _

_"Oh, stop it. You're such a kill joy, Talbot."_

_"Take your hands off her this instant!"_

_"Talbot, please."_

* * *

**\- . - . -**

"Talbot, please."

Ovidia heard her own voice whisper the man's words and she gasped as her eyes snapped open widely, her body sitting up with the same force as she had tried to within her dream. Her heart pounding, and her breaths still heaving, she looked down at her legs and shuddered violently, she could still feel his disgusting phantom fingers in her.

"Ovidia."

She looked over to the voice on her right, taking in the sight of Godric sitting in the chair next to her bed, a look of worry on his features. She took in a deep breath and forced her heartbeat to even itself out as she'd grown used to doing while she was in that windowless room.

"I... I had a memory resurface."

"I heard you speak a name."

She nodded, her neck tight from sleep.

"Talbot. Do you know him? He was one of the fanged ones. I remember he looks like a Mediterranean man. He was there with his... husband. I don't know that man's name." she let her voice trail off and another shiver ripped through her body, her thoughts going back to the memory that was still too fresh in her mind.

"Talbot. Progeny of Russell Edgington. He was with you? The both of them?"

Godric frowned at the revelation, his mind split two ways, piecing together the fragments of this human girl's puzzling case - she had witnessed the weres club massacre; some of the dead weres sported the same brands Eric and he were chasing after; Ovidia had been taken and captured by Russell Edgington, by the admission of Talbot being there. And now she was seemingly drifting off into another bad memory that he should try to rouse her from. Should he, really? It could get them more answers. He studied her as she shivered violently, her hands clenched into fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white and he could smell the blood seeping from the broken skin her nails had created.

"Little one," he whispered gently, getting up from his seat by her bed and brushing his fingers over her knuckles as he sat down next to her, picking the nearer hand into his lap, effectively rousing her from her memory, however, her salty clear tears splashed into the bed covers as she blinked furiously, "Do you want to talk about it?"

For a long while, they'd sat there, Godric almost as still as a statue with only his thumb drawing over her knuckles lightly, the motion seeming to calm her down a little. And she had begun to sob quietly, her head bowed low, waves of humiliation crashing through her entire body. It took many tries, she would begin her sentence, only to be cut off by a fresh wave of humiliation and violated feelings that Godric could feel rolling within him from her blood tie. He had never felt anyone feel this ashamed of themselves before, and he had no idea what to do beyond just waiting for her to speak.

"He.. They.. they used me that day. I didn't want to like it, but they gave me so much blood that I was fine and I felt everything and I swear, I didn't want to enjoy it!" She sobbed out, her cries wrecking through her body violently.

"And then that man came in and sent them away, and... he.. oh god, he.. he started _touching_ me like I was some dish to taste. I tried to plead with Talbot to make him stop it, Talbot was angry with him, but he wouldn't. He just would not stop touching me there!"

Godric turned over to the door and saw Eric standing by the threshold, a dispassionate look on his face as he listened from a distance. Although, he could feel his progeny's faint curiosity, but also a growing frustration. Godric didn't know what Eric was frustrated about and decided his progeny wasn't as important as the human he was sitting in front of, and turned back to face Ovidia, his hands wrapped around her small clenched fist.

"I feel so used. Please." She unclenched her fist to hold onto Godric's hands in the same desperate fashion as she had done with Talbot, the bleeding crescents on her palms staining his hands lightly, her pleading cries turning hysterical, "Please, make these feelings go away. Please make it go away. Godric! Please!"

"Hush, child."

Godric placed a hand on her shoulder, not knowing it was just as exactly as what Talbot had done. It sent the girl spiralling into hysterics, throwing herself into his body violently, her body sending itself into a panic attack. Godric barely turned his head, silently commanding Eric to his side as he pulled Ovidia off his torso. She struggled with him wildly, her breath neither coming nor going, her face set in a silent scream that showed the true terror within her mind.

"My child, hold her still."

Eric quickly pushed the girl's shoulders back into the bed as Godric straddled his body over her legs, effectively clamping her into their hold, his hands holding her hips down as the girl thrashed in the bed violently before suddenly dropping into unconsciousness from her lack of breathing. Eric saw that her face was quickly turning blue from her lack of breathing and pushed on her septum with enough force to get her lungs to deflate and push air out. He quickly repeated the movement, before forcing her lips open, covering his own over hers, blowing air into her lungs. Never had he imagined that he, Eric Northman, the dead vampire, would be performing CPR on an almost dead human! Yet, here he was, rather willingly giving this human girl the kiss of life. _'For once'_, he mused,_'I'm kissing someone for rather non-seductive reasons. Strangely, it does not shed any appeal.'_ He looked over at Godric who nodded at him to continue until her heart would regulate and she could breathe on her own.

As Ovidia's heart beat started to come down, her breaths no longer at a hyperventilating speed, Godric quickly pushed his calming influence through the blood tie as he listened to her heart and lungs intently, and for a long while, he was met with her own internal resistance. He was surprised by how strong her instinctive resistance had persisted before he physically placed his palm by her cheek, stroking it gently as he mumbled calming, gentle words to her. She seemed to be soothed slightly, but again, the terror struck within her, and her heart was started beating too frantically.

Eric stood back as he watched the girl's frantic struggling as Godric hummed an old Nordic tune to try and ease her, however, her mind was still lost to whatever terror that had gripped its hold into her at the moment. It had frustrated him immensely that he didn't know enough to help her beyond wrapping her in his embrace whenever Godric wasn't quick enough to get to her first. She would thrash and scream until her voice was hoarse, and her flesh in bruises where they would make rough contact with his own hard body when these episodes happened. He contemplated getting her a straitjacket at one point but Godric had abhorred the suggestion of even bringing up the thought.

Despite that, he had pushed Godric into allowing her to sit through these episodes, it certainly allowed them to get closer to their own agenda. Tonight had been the one prime example. They were finally able to put a name to her captors. Fucking Talbot had been there. She even mentioned that his husband had been the bastard touching her. He had been shocked at the revelation. He knew he shouldn't be, considering that Russell had set his sights on Sophie Anne for the longest time. But the bastard always was swinging towards the male persuasions. He could practically see Talbot seething at the sight of Russell touching Ovidia. He pursed his lips at the thought, honestly hating the idea that this visual had so already happened. He sat down heavily by the end of the bed, his thoughts taking on a murderous edge. That Edgington could be the one behind the same werewolves they had been searching for for the last thousand years.

Beyond his primary objective of seeking revenge on his human family, he was now seeking vengeance for Ovidia. Those bastards had obviously done a number on this little human girl who had bore witness to a supernatural battle that had gone horribly awry. The fact that she had gotten out of it unscathed only to be captured and locked in Edgington's basement to be used beyond a battered sex toy had somehow displeased Eric greatly. He wasn't sure if finding out that Edgington was behind this had spurred on his murderous intent, but it was clear that _that_ ancient bastard had to die some way some how.

"I will seek revenge for her, Godric. Edgington. He is beyond mad." He whispered furiously into the room with a renewed sense of determination, the girl's sobs and struggling quieting at his words. Godric remained silent, his back facing him as he held the human in her supine hold.

"He is the one we have been searching for all this while. I will have my vengeance. I will kill that old fool once and for all." He seethed more to himself than to the girl and his maker, his rage tinting his vision red as he glared a hole into the ceiling.

"Yes, we will, my child. We will have that vengeance, both for your family and for Ovidia." Godric said finally, his voice also quiet and determined, his two thousand years of existence bearing its weight into the air, fully enveloping over the three occupants of the room.

Ovidia calmed fully at the weight of Godric's ancient age and authority that resounded in his voice, a few tears slipping past her closed eyes as she finally let her body sag below the ancient vampire. His hands were still cupped around her face when she let out a soft sigh, and felt the ancient boy's arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her up into his tight embrace. He must have known his substantial authority must have been the trigger to calm her down because as he murmured the same calm gentle words he had been using on her the past hour, it now bore his massive authority. It lulled her and sent her into a safe place. She had hated Edgington's authority but it had the effect on sending her rapists out of the room, and she had taken comfort in that invisible force unknowingly. While Edgington's force left her feeling awkward and it still struck a fear within her, Godric's force had been more calming, more like home. She had experienced Eric's authoritative force minimally, it usually peaked when he got extremely frustrated at her panic attacks, but it was very much similar to Godric's, not as calming but she felt safe whenever she was made to feel the brunt of his frustrations. She felt herself drifting off into a dreamless sleep as the ancient boy vampire held her in his arms, his hands rubbing soothing tracks into her back.

"Has she finally calmed?"

"Like a babe. She's sleeping." the ancient boy vampire replied in a hushed whisper, his voice soothing and still bearing the authoritative weight as he laid the girl back into the bed as gently as possible before removing himself from the bed. He stood facing his progeny.

"Come, let us leave her to rest. We have much to talk about."

Eric nodded, still feeling Godric's authoritative weight bearing on his shoulders as he got off the bed lightly. He finally understood how to calm the girl down. It was quite fascinating that she would find the weight of authority calming and tugged the parts of the episode together in his mind. He had heard her mention that the men had been using her just before Edgington came along. Perhaps his authoritative presence had been conditioned into her mind to seek shelter in as he sent her abusers running along. It could only be the case.

"It would seem she responds to the weight of authority, does she not?" Eric commented as he waited for Godric to take a seat by the sitting area at the other end of the room. His maker nodded and took his seat on the arm chair that had faced the bed and gestured for him to take the chaise lounge instead. He obeyed silently and sat down with grace.

"It would seem so. I can only imagine Russell bore his authority to speak with her alone. It gave her a sense of shelter for however few minutes she had with him. I am assuming Talbot would've been present whenever Russell was around her, and must have treated her with more.. respect than the rest." Godric deliberated vocally to his progeny, "She seemed to have only recalled his name so far. It's by far a better lead than we've had in a century."

Eric nodded solemnly, his own thoughts processing rapidly.

"What would our next step be, Godric?"

"That is something we must deliberate carefully. We cannot be seen, nor heard, not be traced back to anyone or anything."

Godric sat his elbows upon his knees, his fingers intertwining into a clasp as the two vampires stilled into their seats, retreating into their minds as they came up with their own strategies. It was indeed a very long night, one that would stretch into the day again. They had a personal war and vendetta to plan, and a tiny human girl to look after. A whole identity had to be carved out for them if they succeeded.

Godric turned his head back to watch Ovidia as she slept soundly on the bed, his mind already planning into the long term future for all three of them.

**\- . - . -**

* * *

**a/n:** Indulge me here a little, I'm running on a low with 'Godric's Propensity' but I do suppose it's because I've been thinking about this one way too much. Sorry this hasn't been an extra long chapter like the previous two, but I hope you have enjoyed it still! It took quite a while to work this in, and it should push the story along for a while now. :)

If you've enjoyed reading this, do keep me on your alert or favourite list, so you can get first dips rather than trawl through the filters. :)

Thanks for reading, and see you in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: whoa. sorry for the long wait! :) thank you all so much for your follows and favourites and nice reviews! So, super game changer in this chapter! D: D: D: _dun dun duuuun~!_ I haven't decided if this should be more godric-centric, or eric-centric. but the focus would definitely be more on ovidia instead. That poor girl, seriously. I feel so bad for her. I promise, it'll work out somehow! :D **

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

A deep intake of air filled her lungs as Ovidia's eyes slowly opened to take in her surroundings. She panicked a little when she tried to move but was restrained bodily by two hands on either side of her torso and hip. Glancing on either side of her, she realised both her saviours had taken to their sleep next to her on the same bed, and right now, as she lay facing the tall blonde vampire, Eric was looking right at her in slight curiosity.

"Alright there, kid?"

His voice was thick with sleep, his face was neutral and blank the only way one would be when they'd just woken up. She groaned in her own bodily stiffness and stretched her limbs out in the tight space before sending the tall man a briief smile and moved to sit up. She felt him not only lift his hand off her, but also removed Godric's hold on her so she could rest her back on the bed's backrest.

"How long was I out for?" She stifled a yawn and caught the viking vampire's steady observation at her human condition, before a teasing smirk flashed across his face.

"Well, it's late-afternoon now, so, maybe about a few hours over half a day. You snore the place down, you know. You're lucky we're vampires."

"I - I do not snore! And how is your being a vampire excuse my poor luck?"

"We're dead to the world. Look at Godric. He's one fine example, he isn't even awake yet."

She looked over at the older vampire and let her hand brush through his fine hair softly and shrugged lightly, letting a mock grimace flash on her face and rolled her eyes. Godric was still plainly dead to the world, she reckoned he'd gone to bed some time in the mid-morning given the traces of the bleeds that he hadn't been able to wipe off before he crawled into bed next to her.

"Yeah, well, whatever. I bet he'd sleep through a nuclear explosion. So I snore. You could've placed another pillow below my head so I don't snore more."

"It's funny watching you snore, human. We were well entertained."

"I'm somehow not very happy that I'm your amusement, you."

The girl tsk-ed at the smirking vampire as she ran her other hand through his gold locks. She mused at how nice it felt, their smooth hairs between her fingers. She watched as he closed his eyes briefly, enjoying her touch before swatting her hand away.

"Go feed yourself and keep out of trouble, Viddie. Let me rest a few more hours. We have lots to discuss about when the sun sets."

"Alright, fine."

She watched as the tall blonde vampire closed his eyes once more as he settled into his unbreathing sleep before creeping over his body to get out of the bed and stared at the two sleeping men. She tried recalling what had occurred the night before as she set about freshening herself up.

She stared at herself in the mirror the moment she stepped into the bathroom, noticing the dark circles around her eyes. Despite the fact that she had slept a full twelve hours as Eric had suggested, she felt she only had an hour's rest. _'That's not too far fetched given...'_, she sighed heavily and multi-tasked, going about her morning routine. _'Given I've been stuck in my own body while my mind kept replaying all those memories. God, I really wish I could forget them.'_

Godric and Eric had told her to either jot down the dreams, or memories, whenever possible. It could lead them to finding out who had been the one to help her escape. They had ventured the possibility that if the person could let her out, he could very well trace them back and capture her again. She tried telling them that it would be almost impossible, given that she was sure she was glamoured into forgetting his face. Godric had retorted saying that even so, she said she remembered the voices better than faces, even having identify an accent would be a good enough clue for them. She had asked if Adam could have been the one, but again, Godric pointed out that her friend was seeking shelter and safety in his home at the moment. His association with her would have made him an immediate target once she escaped. Ovidia noticed that it had irked Godric a lot that he couldn't figure out who this vampire was, he would've tortured her, only to help her? She thought perhaps the torture was necessary so he could get time with her alone. It was the explanation they deferred to at this point. But even then, how would this vampire know where to send her to? How was it that he knew where Godric's and Eric's safe houses were at? Eric had mentioned that he had let a few trusted vampires on his end run some errands pertaining to the safe house locations. He would have to be careful with his contact with them. Godric had not been happy about that knowledge, but Ovidia had pointed out that this narrowed the list down to a handful of vampires. If she could listen to their voices, she would know who exactly it was. But so far, that little guessing game had to be put on hold, lest their safety be compromised.

She paused at the thought that they had something else up their sleeves, but shrugged it off. The two of them had done so much for her already, if they had another agenda on their backs, and she was just a catalyst, she would only be more than happy to help their cause just because not only did they save her from bleeding out from her injuries, they'd healed her and taken care of her even more so than she'd experienced in her entire life.

_'I just want to know though, if I could ever have the same sort of life I once had before all this shit happened..'_, she frowned and a heavy feeling overcame her. _'Right, who am I kidding. No shit, I'll never be the same any more.'_

Ovidia had been sitting in front of the TV for a couple of hours, spooning soggy cereal into her mouth every once in a while as she flipped through the channels before settling on a rerun of some medical drama series, half wishing her life was that much of a first world problem as their little petty made up lives. She heard the deliberate shuffling of feet and felt the back of the couch she was sitting in dip down as a hand stroked her hair in the same fashion as she had stroked his a few hours ago. She looked up to see the ancient boy vampire smiling down at her.

"Good evening, Vidia."

She didn't mind it so much that he had shortened her name. It sounded rather inviting and familiar the way he said it. She smiled back and greeted him as he ruffled her hair and hopped over the height of the couch to sit next to her, the milk in the bowl sloshing around slightly.

"Did you get enough rest last night?" Godric asked the girl lightly, taking the bowl in her hands and setting it down on the coffee table before them.

Ovidia stared at the television blankly, thinking about the vampire's question. Physically, she felt fine, but she still felt exhausted, like the day after running a full marathon.

"That a trick question?" she frowned, unsure about how to go about addressing the question he'd asked.

"No. But if it confuses you so, you could choose not to answer it." Godric's smile faltered slightly as he read the girl's expressions. "I do apologise for causing you grief. I only wanted to know if you were feeling better tonight."

"Oh. Uh... um..."

She turned to look at him and spied Eric zipping around the bedroom in the background setting his clothes out and changing at an inhumanly quick speed. She blinked, momentarily distracted at the speed which the tall man moved, and shifted her gaze back to Godric.

"Yes, um. If that's the case, then, uh, I guess I'm feeling better than last night. It's not much, all things considered..."

She let the words trail off as she got distracted again, this time at Eric's insanely fast movements over his blonde locks, combing and styling his hair. Godric turned to look at what she had been watching and chuckled lightly at the distraction. Ovidia tried to multitask but was failing so badly at it when she forced herself to pull her gaze away at Eric and back to Godric who had a knowing smile on his face.

"You guys can really, like, move really fast." She shot a glance at Eric who was now sitting on the bed tying his shoelaces together at a human speed, suddenly, that looked all too slow to her. He had clearly heard her observation, and took to humouring her to move at human speed. Shaking her head to rouse her attentions back to the ancient vampire sitting next to her, she looked at the almost finished bowl of cereal on the coffee table.

"Indeed. I suppose it's because we only have the night to carry out our existence that we're gifted with certain abilities."

She lifted her shoulders in an attempt to show her acknowledgement to the topic, understanding Godric's tone of finality on the topic. He didn't have to state it very obviously but it was evident that he never really shared what vampires were or what they could do, never wanted her to know more in hopes she won't have to be subjected to their.. lifestyles, not in the long run anyway. _'But, he's quite a fool to think I don't actually know how to observe things on my own. I haven't survived this long only to be stupid enough to yap about it.'_ she noted with a chagrined mood.

"Anyway, I had a lot more memories resurfacing again while I slept earlier. I don't feel all that rested." She said with the same tone of finality in her voice as she stood from the couch and picking up the bowl, turning to look at Godric only to see a guilty look in his eyes, "Nothing we can do about that, but, for what it's worth, I suppose I'm feeling a lot more numbed out from it. That's a good improvement, right?"

She watched him nod in agreement although his eyes did not show the same conviction and padded into the kitchen where she found the other vampire standing in front of the microwave, waiting for a bag of blood to heat up. He greeted her gruffly, clearly, if there was a trait that both humans and vampires had, it was that some people never got over morning grouchiness. She giggled at the thought as she left the kitchen.

* * *

**\- . - . -**

Ovidia found herself curled up in an armchair with an old tome in her lap, the pages on medieval banking systems forgotten as she tried hard to let herself succumb to an impending nap. The situation she found herself in was quite the predicament for her. She was getting way too comfortable in that chair, which was warm and enveloping. So conducive for her to end up dozing - which was a conflicting situation in her mind, because she knew the moment she lost herself to that nap, it would be all too soon that another memory would leap to the forefront of her slumber, and she would be helpless in making it stop.

She had remembered one of the vampires managing to rouse her from her screams, but it had done little to stop the memory in its tracks. Her mind had this really sick idea of ensuring she recalled it in its entirety. She had wondered if either Godric or Eric would've picked up the fact that perhaps she had been glamoured somehow into making sure she lived out those memories fully. _'Maybe they're the ones who glamoured me into it.'_ was her last thought as her breaths evened out and she slipped into her sleep, unable to keep her eyes open any longer.

_"Little girl, open your eyes. Dear little Ovidia, wake up." _

_Ovidia groaned as she felt a cold finger prod at her cheek, the warm tones of the speaker made it even more difficult for her to rouse herself out of her minuscule rest. Lately, they'd been torturing her beyond what could be considered natural. It would seem that Talbot and his husband would come visit her regularly. Talbot was somehow always a little more reserved in the way he handled her, but it was never with the same brutality that the other men used on her. She briefly wondered if it was just solely based on the fact that she was female and he clearly was one who preferred men. _

_Her eyes snapped opened only to have her eyes swivel around wildly in their sockets, her consciousness barely holding on to the brink of awareness. The cold finger was joined by its other digits and a palm which held by her cheek and she felt a liquid wet her lips. Her tongue instinctively swiped along her lips, water. More of it splashed on her lips as she let her tongue lap at it weakly, her throat barely able to swallow but she tried her best to will herself into drinking the water. _

_She soon found herself staring back at the fanged man before glancing around the room quickly. She was alone with Talbot. That was weird. Well, not really weird. While Talbot never came down alone, it wasn't until his recent visits that she noticed he came unaccompanied by his husband. She shrugged mentally; whatever. If it meant a few moments of reprieve from those bastards, she would welcome it wholeheartedly. Talbot had been nothing but tolerant with her. So far, that is. Ovidia knew better than to trust any person within this place._

_"You look better already, that's a good thing." _

_He hauled her up to sit up against the wall as he crouched next to her carefully, like he didn't want to get his clothes soiled by the room. She couldn't fault him for that, if she were as pristinely clean as he currently was, she would be doing the exact same thing. Grime, dirt, dried blood and faecal matter just wasn't up her alley of enjoyment. But she was too far gone down this dark abyss of torture, she really couldn't give a fuck about it. _

_She eyed him questioningly, her head tilted to one side marginally, non-verbally asking him what he was doing here. Talbot seemed to have gotten the intent of her actions and he shrugged carelessly, his accented voice light and bored at first but his anger and frustration picking up as he spoke, "I was bored. Again. There are only so many rooms I can redecorate in a day. My darling has been out... playing with those... pathetic sycophants that he likes surrounding himself with. Hmph! He's an old, weak fool, my husband. Whatever." _

_Ovidia allowed herself to smile at his rant, his fangs had popped out mid-way and his awkward lisp had started. It wasn't so much as the lisp that she found amusing, it was his behaviour she found rather endearing. Reminded her of her own mother who was often neglected by her own husband; her dad found his career more important than the family and it usually led to somewhat similar rants. Really didn't help that dad had women he'd kept on the sides. Talbot must've sensed her amusement and her shift in attention because he prodded her painfully in the shoulder. _

_"Are you even listening to me? Ugh. And they say women are good listeners, those magazines are all lies!" _

_She cocked an eyebrow at him, her small smile still on her lips as she nodded at him before shrugging. Talbot sniffed at her, somewhat displeased at her lack of voice but didn't press the issue. He had to have known that she wouldn't even voice a peep. Screams and grunts and moans and groans, yes. Sighs and the constant giggling and laughing too. But she would not even say a single comprehensible word. Not like he could care about her lack of talking, he seemed rather content just blabbering away about his decorations and his own sad little marriage every time he came by. His husband would always roll his eyes and huff, telling her how Talbot was in one of his moods again. _

_She had been massively perplexed at first as to why these two men would air their marital differences in front of a tied up, gagged, tortured human girl. However, as time went on as they usually did, with each rare visit they would come by to her windowless prison, she found that they were both rather interesting individuals to be around with. As mad and insane as Talbot's husband was, she could see that he cared dearly for the younger Mediterranean man and always humoured Talbot greatly while Talbot spend the better part of their visit with her ranting about stupid werewolves and blood stains in bed linens. Listening to both their incessant chatter was the least torturous thing that was happening to her, although she was quite sure if this happened to her before she was captured, her ears would be bleeding profusely. It was only when Talbot stormed out of the room that she would fear. His husband, the King, was not a nice man when Talbot wasn't there. The number of torturous things he would do to her were things she didn't want remembering. She shuddered as she recalled his rough hands on her, the crazy medieval tools and the broken bones and burnt flesh he'd left on her. Oh, the branding. He was a massive fan of using hot irons on her. It seemed like the whole building had a fetish for that. A few others had been more educated on torturing via red hot pokers. _

_She was brought back to the present when she saw Talbot huff at her and sitting on a less stained part of her now unrecognisable mattress. She wasn't exactly listening to the man, but he had chatted enough to calm down and retract his fangs and was now looking at her rather forlornly. _

_"Oh sweetheart, I do feel quite sadly for you. I heard from darling you were the only sole witness and living creature alive to have escaped from that awful were fight.."_

_She snorted loudly and rolled her eyes, 'Fight? Try fucking massacre.' She shuddered at the gory, bloody details of the anamnesis, her stomach doing flips as she took several gulps of air. The air in the room stank of her torturers and her bodily excrements, amongst other things, and Talbot's light fragrance from his laundered clothes. She welcomed the pleasant scent of Talbot and turned to look at him squarely in his eyes, grimacing at his previous words and shaking her head. He understood her need for him to not bring it up again._

_"They're such fucking animals, I do feel sorry for you having to go through all this. It's like they've gone back five hundred years or something. If you never saw all that you've seen, you'll never be here. But if you weren't here, then I wouldn't have known you, right? I suppose that's the only good thing out of this, no?"_

_Ovidia rolled her eyes but smiled weakly at the sweet voiced man. He would always apologise for torturing her because the others had to hear, smell and see some form of torture going on, and while he made it so clear he wasn't going to have sex with her, their odd friendship had him pleasuring her in other ways that she didn't exactly quite dislike. Quite honestly, she regarded theirs a Stockholm syndrome sort of relationship. Talbot grinned back at her brightly and ran a finger down her arm before she nodded and whimpered before he drew the tip of a pocket knife along the same path. She let out a scream at the pain she felt as he waited a few moments to let her get her breathing normalised, and then bit into his fingertip, letting his blood heal it over. She stared at Talbot as a tear rolled down her cheek. _

_"But you know, you're quite the lucky girl." _

_Ovidia frowned and cocked an eyebrow so high up her forehead at his idea of her pathetic luck. 'If this is what he considers lucky...' She never finished her thoughts with his next words. He was practically squealing excitedly in his hushed whisper. _

_"You've got people looking for you, it seems. That place we picked you up from? The one owned by your little friend, Adam. Oh yes, we know about Adam. Don't you miss him? He's been going around asking for help to look for you. He sure is one good looking boy! My, I wished we packed him into the van with you instead. Never mind, I'll be sure to ask darling to pick him up soon. He could be your room mate in here! How about that!" _

_She shook her head quickly and pouted, a whine sounding from her lips. 'No, not Adam!' _

_"But why not? He's cute! He could be my pet!" _

_She pouted even more so, huffing in frustration at Talbot's claims, growling softly as she shook her head firmly again even though her neck was protesting the action. _

_"Tsk. Oh, fine. I don't plan on keeping you in here for much longer anyway. Darling doesn't seem to want to let you go, or turn you, or let you die. Honestly it's such a chore having to deal with him talking about you all the time, but you, you seem like such a great listener. Maybe when you get out we could meet again. Some day, maybe. I don't quite fancy that this room has been made torture chambers anyway. How distasteful is that?"_

_Ovidia gasped, her eyes widening in surprise at his words. She jutted her chin out, jerking her head at Talbot, 'What?' What was he implying? He would help her get out? Really? But that was crazy! The king's husband, Talbot!? The said man clapped his hands excitedly._

_"Oh, I know, I know. It's so radical! But seriously, I'm so bored of living here. I need some adventure! You could be my little pet project! Send you, my little honey chumps on a wild goose chase! How about that? You'll get to run around the country, and see the sights, and live with nicer people. Not unlike here, at least there won't be any tortures out there, if you manage to get back to your friends."_

_Talbot let his fingers graze one side of her collarbones, an inkling of his next cutting site before sinking the knife in slowly as he spoke, all the while watching her face intently. Ovidia whimpered before giving into a pained moan and ragged breaths. It didn't hurt that much but the cut was deep enough that she could feel the muscles being serrated away from their rightful connections to the bone girdle. _

_"You see, I have to apologise for your sorry luck, you'll just be living in yet another prison anyway. Always in hiding, always in fear. Darling simply won't let you live to tell the tale, that's if you did actually witness it. Did you see them killing each other like the savages that they are? For some stupid reason, this keeping you here makes it ever more irrevocable that you've seen and experienced even more than that night though." _

_He drew the knife in similar fashion over her other side of the collarbone. She choked out a sob, it was excruciating. He left the cut open, not sealing it shut as he did with her arm, and watching with an odd fascination as her blood leaked out and trailed down like a wall of liquid red down her chest. She glowered at the fanged man. Talbot was beginning to scare her today. He's never cut that deep before, almost piercing into her lungs. He must've severed an important vein because she could feel her large wound bleeding too profusely. _

_"You know, I haven't actually tried tasting you. I keep hearing from all them boys raving about your blood. The blood of a male is often a nicer palette for my taste, but the boys, they can't stop talking about yours even though I'm fucking them in bed. I must try you today."_

_He leaned forward as his fangs clicked out, his tongue venturing onto her skin as he licked one of the trails. The impulsive man clambered over her thighs, straddling her legs heavily, his obvious need for remaining pristinely clean forgotten as he lapped at the deep cut under her collarbone. She stared up at him wide eyed, and watched as he closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her blood deeply,_

_"Your blood is surprisingly sweet and pleasant for an O blood type. And clean too, even though those mutts have taken away your virginity. How interesting! I can't believe I haven't tasted you before now. I see the fascination now, oh! Ovidia, you little minx! I must drink from you!"_

_Talbot wasted no time licking at her neck, his fangs dragging across her jugular as he purred before sinking his fangs into her. Ovidia's breath hitched slightly in the painful pricking sensation before she heard the man above her let out a loud drawn out moan that sounded way far too sexual for her gay acquaintance. She could feel her blood being pulled out of her veins with Talbot's every gulp. It wasn't until her heart started beating a lot louder in her ears that he pulled away from her._

_"Divine! So delectable! I see why they can't shut the fuck up about you now! I understand why Russell wants you here all the time. But this is odd, you're completely human. Your smell, your physiology, completely human. Or maybe you're not exactly human? I don't understand this. Wait, has anyone even told you what we are? I'll tell you, we are vampires!" _

_Talbot was rubbing his front all over her, usually her torturers would be up in arms raping her while they drank. 'Fuck and feed' was what she was called, only 'fuck, feed, and everything else' was a more accurate way of their use of her. She shuddered when she felt Talbot's hard erection pressing into her lower abdomen. _

_"Well, will you look at that! My, my, dear little Ovidia, it seems you might break plentiful gay hearts in time. You little witchling, you. I might just bat for your team, or maybe just for you. No, I can't have darling keep you here for longer. I will plan this out accordingly. You'll have to give me some time, my little honey chumps." _

_She felt his cold fingers wrapping around her neck to hold her head in place. She opened her eyes only to stare up into his own bright eyes and flushed cheeks from drinking her blood and felt the familiar haze and tug into her mind. No, no. She mustn't let go of her mind. 'Keep it together, keep it together. Don't let him get to us. No, he mustn't! But, it's so warm and inviting... so soft, that caress, so light and comfortable. Oh, but... I must not give in...' Ovidia's glazed over at the last thought as it faded off, her mind captured by Talbot's soft but hypnotising gaze. _

_"Ovidia, little honey chumps. You will forget about today, and until you're in a safe place, you won't remember this whole conversation. I will look for you once I've gotten out of this kitchy place too. We have a show to put up in time, but the next time I come in here, you will be able to leave this place. You understand me?" _

_Ovidia felt his voice become her deeply embedded thought and tried fighting against it. It was weak to have done so, her brain was mush to his soft eyes. She nodded after a while, a barely there movement due to her neck being held tightly in his hand. Talbot sighed softly, his hand relaxing over her neck. It was just a ruse to the camera placed in the room to look as though he were having some words with her. Talbot knew his glamour would work on her, he had tried glamouring her in stages and with time he tried his glamour on her, he felt her mind give way into his slowly, as if she were getting used to being glamoured by him. _

_"Now, my sweet honey chumps. When you leave this place, you will run. You will destroy anything in your path with anything you can find to get out of this compound, and you will run as fast as you can, towards the sunrise, go east, there are people waiting for you by the harbour sides. You must look for a safe place to hide when you get to a harbour or to an industrial estate, they're places with large warehouses. Look for residences in those areas. There will be safe places for you there. Ovidia, it is paramount that your safe spots will be rooms next to escape ladders or stairs. Always look up in between alleyways, you'll find an open window next to the escape routes. Go hide in them, your friends will know you have arrived. Yes?" _

_She nodded at his words, her breaths evening out as with every glamoured human would have showcased. She could feel her brain slowly but surely resisting his hypnotic gaze, and she blinked. A quick snap of her eyelids. She felt his fingers tighten around her neck again as she stared back into Talbot's eyes, it now looked a little panicked, as if he knew she wouldn't hold his gaze and whatever he was doing to her for much longer._

_"You will not remember that it was I who let you go, until you've recalled this conversation in your safe place. If you don't find a way to a safe place, you will run and hide in the woods, and you will do whatever it takes to run forever, until you find some place safe. Some place no one else can look for you, understood?"_

_Ovidia gulped, his words were fighting for a place within her mind. It didn't seem like she could stop it from becoming her thought and action and intent but her mind was trying to reject it. A little part of her told her to welcome this one time. The word 'safe' kept jumping out to her in her glazed over haze. It had to mean something, right? _

_She nodded at Talbot again, and this time he let go of her neck completely, and sagged onto her, his clothes staining with her blood. She felt her mind snap back into awareness, the previous fog lifted from her thoughts and she groaned tiredly, resting her forehead on Talbot's shoulder. He was still breathing in her drying blood. She couldn't understand what was so nice about it. Blood all smelled the same to her. Perhaps because of his otherworldliness that he could smell her blood better, but no matter how she tried thinking around it, it still had her wondering how blood could smell any better than this nauseated fume. _

_Ovidia was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Talbot lean away from her, and presenting his bloody wrist to her lips. He leaned back onto her shoulder, it would be the first time they had such a close proximity to each other, his head turned towards her neck as he let his breath tickle her, his voice a bare whisper. She sighed and suckled on the fanged man's blood, her wounds sewing themselves shut and then some._

_"Drink, honey chumps. I need you to rest up for tonight. Tomorrow, you will drink more, and tomorrow will be it for you. You will run away."_

* * *

**\- . - . -**

Ovidia sat up in the chair she was in, the heavy tome jostled out of her lap as it landed on the carpeted floor with a solid thump. Her eyes wide and shining brightly, her mind clear with her memory recall from her nap.

She looked to the door, almost expecting Godric or Eric to come flitting in at her accelerated heart rate and jarring breaths but they hadn't. She tilted her head, wondering about the lack of their similar panic but brushed it aside.

Talbot was going to come for her. Would he force her to go back with him to that place? She shuddered as a stab of fear shot through her. No, he wouldn't, would he? She thought quickly. Talbot said he wanted to get out of there. Was he being held there too? Was that his prison also? He had struck her as becoming increasingly odd with his last visits.

The library door finally opened quickly as Godric came to her side, his eyes flashing in concern as he looked her over, picking up the book on the floor. A wry smile graced his lips as he cocked an eyebrow at her, "Banking systems? No wonder you fell asleep. Are you alright, little one?"

Ovidia nodded and she let her thoughts whirl through her mind, coming to a decision quickly. She would make Godric sit down and speak with her at length at her new revelation.

"I just remembered something that you might find... useful, perhaps?"

She watched the ancient boy look at her with a spark in his eyes as he sat on the carpet in front of her. He looked way too young when he sits cross legged, looking up at her expectantly like this. She shrugged mentally.

"But first, I need to know - where's Adam? Is he alright? Is he safe? Has he been taken like me? Where is he?"

Godric blinked up at the girl as he heard her questions. Truth be told, they hadn't been able to keep up with modern forms of communication what with being so far out in the woods. But with Adam, Isabel had dispatched Adam out to Eric's safe house in Sweden indefinitely. The last time he managed to contact his human day man, he was busy studying museum artefacts for Eric. That was two days ago.

"For all intents and purposes, yes, Adam is currently safe."

Ovidia was dying to ask where Adam was currently located, but given how selective Godric was with answering her, she knew better than to bother asking. He wouldn't budge regardless. Besides, if Talbot had managed to glamour her, it could mean any knowledge she had of Adam could be glamoured out of her as well. She nodded at Godric's response. As long as her friend was safe. She felt a small weight lift off her shoulder for now.

"Well, then. Since he's safe. I've managed to overcome some requirements of the glamour that had been successfully placed on me."

"You have?" The surprise on Godric's face did little to make him look his age, in fact, Ovidia smiled at his seemingly young features and nodded quickly.

"Talbot glamoured me."

"_Talbot?_"

Godric's eyes widened significantly. That wasn't what he had expected. _At all._ His mind was whirling around as he tried to piece this new information together. It wasn't adding up at all. How did Talbot manage to know where Eric's and his safe spots were at? How did he manage to get that gun into the room without their knowledge? The motion sensors didn't even go off. _'Unless he had vamped in and out, of course.'_ Godric stood up and started pacing, his mind was split into so many different ways. He stopped to look at the human girl with another steady gaze, his face impassive as his mind raced on. He could feel Eric's tug of curiosity and need to be with him, his child will be home soon. A part of him could feel the homing proximity of his child racing back towards them.

"Tell me everything. Leave nothing out." his voice was thick and harsh in accent, but urgent with the need for information.

Ovidia stared back at the ancient vampire that she'd come to be comfortable around with and nodded and started recounting her memory in as full a detail as she could as Godric continued pacing around her, occasionally pausing to take in an unnecessary breath, other times he would growl to himself, his fists clenching tightly.

"He drank from you?"

Godric growled quietly. Sure, Ovidia somehow smelled different, but it wasn't like her scent sang out to him and Eric. Actually, he couldn't be too sure, they had been only surrounded by her scent for the past four months now, and they survived by drinking whenever they pass by a household along the way. Godric and his progeny could very well just be more acclimatised to Ovidia's scent by now.

Just then, Eric burst in through the door, his hair askew, a look of worry in his eyes, frown lines marring his forehead.

"What is it? What happened? What has gotten you so worked up? Godric?"

"It seems we know who our helpful friend is now."

Eric's frown disappeared as he schooled his features into one of neutrality.

"Okay, I suppose it's not what we've expected if you're pacing in this manner."

"No, it's not. Our friend happens to be Talbot."

"Who?"

"Talbot, Russell's progeny and husband. Eric, you know who Talbot is."

"Yes, master, I do know, but I- _Talbot?!_"

Ovidia nodded quickly as Eric's eyes widened and swivelled over to her for confirmation.

"Shit. Well, that changes everything."

Godric gestured to Ovidia with his hand, prodding her to continue with her narration as he continued with his pacing. Eric stood by the large desk by the side of the room, leaning against the large piece of wood listening in from where she had left off.

"So, Talbot's either still finding a way to get out, or he's already out and about looking for us, it would seem. It intrigues me that he wants out of Russell's hold. Why though?"

Eric mused darkly, his arms folded across his chest as he looked from his maker to the little human girl. He watched as the girl shrugged before sagging into the chair again.

"Whatever it is, he was right about me being in an eternal prison. I mean, no offence, but I'm still a kept person. I haven't been seen out in society for how long now? And all I've been surrounded by is just the two of you. I mean, you're both great company, but I do kind of miss home."

"This _is_ home now, Ovidia. It will be until we get rid of Edgington." Godric sat on the small side table next to the armchair she was currently seated in, taking her hands in his, gaining her attention.

"And when will that be?" She asked softly, her gaze shifting from Godric's gaze to their joined hands.

"As soon as we can find cracks within that palace of his.." Eric's voice floated over to them, snapping Godric's eyes over to his progeny quickly. Ovidia shifted in her chair and sat up quickly.

"Well, now that we know who's gotten me out, surely we could use him instead?"

"That's if we can find him first." Godric stood up and shoved his hand into his pants pocket, retrieving his phone. He looked down at the little human girl and let a small smile flit over his features before he started tapping away on his gadget. "I guess this means we're going back into society, like you so wish, Vidia."

"Let's get me a nice giant cup of vanilla latte from a nice little coffee shop on the way, yes? I'm dying for some coffee." Ovidia squealed and bounced in her chair, breaking the serious atmosphere in the air, causing Eric to snort loudly at her antics.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, see you in the next chapter! (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**a/n:** Happy new year, you guys! It's been such a long time, but believe me, I've been trying to come up with additional plot lines to marry the next few chapters with the ones I'd written some time back. I may just hurry the story along over the next chapter or two, and then we might hit an ending soon after that (like maybe 4 chapters from this one). We'll see.

Just so you know, I've missed updating just as much as you've missed reading them.

* * *

**Chapter 5****:**

Ovidia blinked at the garishly red and loud 'Fangtasia' sign displayed on the building's wall as Eric pulled the SUV around to the designated employees lots in the car park. When the two vampires had said "return to civilisation", she certainly had no inkling that they'd be travelling over a thousand miles from one end of the country to the other. Not that she really minded it much, but it was a definite culture change for her. Never really knew the day she'd actually live in a place filled with too many cowboys and red necks, but here she was, red neck central; hot, humid, dank gator-infested swampy Louisiana.

Eric had suggested they move in to Shreveport with him, because he'd been literally sniffing around the backwater towns within his area's purview. He was pretty sure there's been rumours of a telepath that were more actual than myth, living somewhere out there. He had his progeny doing the legwork for him the past few months. He said Pamela was pretty much concluding the search, so that by the time they get there, said telepath should have been procured to help them search out the glamoured bits of her memory to seek out more answers.

_'I'm pretty sure all I'll recover would be more torture techniques. I pity whoever it is who's trying to un-glamour me. Seriously.'_

Ovidia hopped out of the SUV as the engine cut off. Eric was already at the hatchback door behind her taking out several bags and items, while Godric motioned for her to fall in step with him towards the back door of the building. She threw Eric a sidelong glance, biting on her upper lip in an attempt to stop her amused grin from showing.

"Spit it out, Viddie. What is it that amuses you so?" Eric harrumphed at her as he waited for Godric to open the employee's only door.

"Just amused with that neon sign you have up there. I mean, it's brilliant, but seriously, who came up with that?", she managed to school her features into a neutral looking one, her lips twitching into a grin, "Fang-tay-sheer. Heh.". She only broke into an all out grin when she heard Godric chuckling as he pulled the door open.

"That would be my lovely Pamela."

She 'ahh'-ed at that and stepped into the hallway, Eric following behind her with Godric bringing up the rear. Given the building's small space, it didn't take more than ten steps to reach what seemed to be Eric's office. He had managed to open the door on his own and was zipping around the room placing the items he brought in where he wanted them.

"Sit, I'll speak with Pam and we'll go from there."

Godric led her to the couch by the side of the room and was about to sit when she frowned at the sight of a dried splotch on part of the seat.

"Is that blood or, uh, um, genital discharge?" She pointed at the spot, her face creasing into a grimace. Godric's curious look changed into a cheeky smile, a look that looked more familiar on Eric's face than his.

"Sometimes, you come up with rather amusing ways to describe your thoughts, dear one." He turned to pull a minimalistic but overly large armchair closer to the couch, "It's rather endearing. It seems to be the latter, with regards to your question." She lowered herself gingerly onto the armchair that he gestured for her to sit in.

"Oh. Gross. Hm. Well, glad I'm always the go-to amusement around here then." She smiled lightly, "What would you do without my anecdotes when we part ways, I wonder?"

It wasn't something they discussed at length, neither was the subject brought up regularly, but Godric had mentioned it in passing once or twice that they would part ways one of these days, especially once they've managed to get rid of Russell Edgington. It brought Ovidia's thoughts back to why they were seated in Eric's office in Shreveport in the first place; Because if the telepath were talented enough to un-glamour her, they might be able to find weaknesses within what went on behind those walls, and Eric and Godric would be able to bring Russell down once and for all. And then hopefully, with that, she could go back to living her life, without fear of being taken and tortured again.

"I'd be bored once again, I'm sure of it."

"For sure." She shrugged at Godric's off-handed response, "But you'll know where to find me when you need some relief from that boredom."

The door was thrown open just then, with Eric hauling a petite blonde woman in with him, with another taller, bemused looking blonde dressed in a tight pleather catsuit tottering in behind them.

"Pam, I expected lesser resistance from this one telepath, and you had to bring her in kicking and screaming?"

"Maker mine, I tried explaining the wonderful possibilities of amassing wealth and health benefits from working with us on the fly like we're suggesting, but this one is strangely opposed to the idea. And the fact that she can't be glamoured makes it twice as difficult-"

"Excuses I don't want to deal with, my dear progeny." Eric forcibly sat the struggling blonde directly on the stained spot of the couch, pointing a finger and sending a glare at her, "Stop. Struggling. Woman."

Eric let out an exasperated sigh as he looked over to Godric and her, a sheepish smile gracing his face a moment later, "Viddie, that lovely she-vamp by the door is my Pammy. Pammy, this is our lovely Ovidia. And this here is the telepath."

"Hi Pammy!" Ovidia waggled her eyebrows once and smiled up at Pamela, "What's the telepath's name?"

"Hm. Good question. I have no idea." Eric looked back down at the woman who was now attempting to glare back at Eric with equal ferocity. "Well?" Eric prodded the woman's shoulder a little less than gently, earning a squeak from her, "We don't have all night to spare, woman. Now, name."

"S-Sookie. Stack-Stackhouse." The woman stuttered quietly.

_'What kind of name is 'Sookie'? Were her parents high on drugs when they named her? What __were__ they thinking? Interesting name choice though. I wonder what's it short for.'_ Ovidia mused at the given name, and then snapped her eyes over at Sookie as she felt the mental equivalent of a red hot poker prodding around the coals in her mind.

"What is that-" Ovidia's frown deepened as her lips twisted into a grimace to show her discomfort. "Sookie, stop it. It hurts."

"Well, it's not nice to think that my parents were high on drugs when they named me! And it's none of your business what my parents were thinking of!" Sookie snapped back angrily at her. "You're the one who's being nasty with your thoughts, you bitch!"

_'Why would she call me that? I don't think I want to be around this telepath.'_ Ovidia turned away physically to hide her obvious hurt on her face, while a pang of the emotion lanced through her. She heard the telepath harrumphed angrily next to her but almost instantly, Eric's fangs snicked out and he had let out a low hiss, while Godric leapt to his feet and went around her armchair, kneeling by her side and rubbing her back in circles in an attempt to comfort her, feeling the comfort of his authority bearing down around her within the room. It wasn't too obvious, but she heard Pamela clear her throat nervously by the door.

Again, she could feel Sookie poking around her mind aggressively, and it was only increasing and getting to a point where it actually hurt. "Stop! Make her stop it!", she sought out the closest thing to slump her head on, Godric's shoulder, as tears sprang to her eyes.

She heard a thwack and Sookie's pained gasp before the pain was lifted from her mind. It took many minutes and several rounds of deep breathing before Ovidia could shift her head on Godric's shoulder to look over at Sookie, who was now rubbing the back of her head while glaring up at Eric again. Eric's jaws were clenched tightly as he frowned at Sookie before looking back at the little human he had been looking after for the past half a year. She saw his eyes soften considerably in concern and she sniffled; Godric's hand was now massaging the base of her head where it ached. She turned to look at Godric to find his features set in similar fashion with Eric's, before letting his gaze fall on the telepath in a cold fury.

"Telepath, you will not treat Ovidia with such aggression." Godric's quiet voice addressed Sookie in the silence, drawing Sookie's attention away from glaring at Eric to staring at the ancient boy vampire.

"Why the hell should I listen to you? You're just a kid!" Sookie sassed out and Ovidia felt her eyes widen when she heard Godric's fangs and jaw click in annoyance at being spoken to so rudely.

"Wow. Such an angry spirit, that one. No self-preservation whatsoever." Ovidia mumbled into Godric's shoulder before glancing between Sookie and Eric, waiting for the tall blonde vampire's reaction. Apparently, he was waiting for his maker's own reaction. _'It's like she's got her own death wish, I don't need anymore trouble coming my way when I've got Russell after my life and Talbot possibly on the loose.' _

"I don't have a death wish! Who the hell is Russell and Talbot?" As if her current predicament at sassing Godric was no longer a problem at all, Sookie hadn't begun to realise that she was responding out loud to Ovidia's thoughts.

Ovidia shrugged and trained her eyes on Eric's raised eyebrow, "Well, at least we know she's a definite telepath now." She closed her eyes and turned back into Godric's shoulder as he continued his gentle massage on her neck. "A damn dumb telepath is what she is." Ovidia whispered under her breath, knowing only the vampires could hear her. She heard a snort escape from Godric and turned to stare at him.

"What? You found that funny too?"

Godric shrugged this time, a small smile finally gracing his features, "She's certainly qualified, although I must admit I do find myself agreeing with whatever you've thought of her so far. She's probably on par with you on being a trouble magnet, though her troubles seem to be of her own doing."

He motioned for her to scoot over in the overly large armchair as he stood up, his cool hand grasping onto hers gently and then sat next to her. It was a tight squeeze, but it was still marginally comfortable if she crossed her legs - which she did, and shifted some more so they could both be a bit more at ease.

"I resent that, Godric! My kind of troubles seem to know no boundaries, and I have enough sense to be quiet and not blab about things. She doesn't even filter her words nor actions. That she would be so reckless is worrisome. Pammy!" Ovidia pouted at Eric's progeny, who was now standing close to said maker, a pout forming on her lips as well, "Don't call me Pammy. I hate that name. 'Pam' is just fine, little human heart beater."

"But Pammy, are you sure we can trust her? She's done nothing but attack me so far."

"Maybe you can attack her back, I heard it takes quite a bit to have you glamoured. Perhaps your brain might work protectively the next time she tries that shit on you. You can torture her back too, I don't really care. That wasn't very nice what she did, our dear little telepath, now is it?" Pamela glanced back down at Sookie and narrowed her eyes at the telepath, Sookie was still glaring daggers at her maker. Picking up a rubber band, aiming it at the telepath's forehead and letting it loose, Pamela cackled as Sookie let out a shocked and pained scream and the tension in the room seemingly dispersed, as Eric finally moved around his large desk to sit behind it.

"Well, this has been entertaining, but I must get back to enthralling the vermin out front. I'll have someone bring in refreshments." Pam finally said in her lazy drawl before slinking out of the office quietly.

**\- . - . - . -**

Sookie stared at the teenagers seated before her, and for a moment tried to put the girl's unique name to the face. She was sure she'd seen the girl's name before. The one seated before her looked a heck lot skinnier than in the pictures she'd seen. _'On TV! She's that missing girl that's been on the news for months now!'_

The telepath gaped openly at her revelation, already pointing at the girl before thinking her action through, "You.. You're that girl who's been on the news!" Sookie watched as the girl's head snapped over to look at her with open curiosity, the two vampires fangs had once again flashed out menacingly at her with accompanying growls.

"What did you say?"

She looked at the vampire sitting next to the girl, and nodded towards her, "I said, she's been on the news! For months and months. You can only watch the news reel daily before it actually gets burned into your memory. They've been reporting her as missing, with a $10,000 reward dead or alive. It's gotten a tonne of coverage. You must be really loved, Miss."

She heard the tall blonde vampire snort dismissively and she frowned to herself. Was she missing something? The girl had said some guy was after her life and someone else was on the loose. Was she- "Were you in trouble? Is that why you need my help?"

"Oh, finally she wants to help instead of kill her." the blonde vampire murmured under his breathe, loud enough for her to have heard him. Sookie huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, I don't fancy being ordered around like some servant, or have my family thought of so rudely.", she replied hotly.

"Technically, Pam did give you the option of coming to work for us as a formally employed member of my retinue, with good remuneration in fact. You refused, laughed at her and told her to 'jam it where she can can it', as you said. So, you leave us with no other option but to do things the hard way. Well, easy for us, hard for you." the blonde vampire retorted just as bitingly, not looking up while scribbling on the papers he was reading. He had so much paperwork to catch up on. "Besides, if we're talking rude, pot, meet kettle. Why, you've even attacked my dear little friend here for merely thinking. I hadn't paid you to read her thoughts and then attack her for them. I have killed people for lesser, you should bear that in mind, Stackhouse."

"Whatever. I guess I could do with your job offer then." Sookie huffed indignantly, still in denial over her actions.

"Like you should have in the very beginning. You humans and your wilful tendencies to play things out so dramatically. Why can't you be just like Ovidia, go with the flow and all that? No, don't answer that. I don't want to know your flawed reasoning. Just be an obedient employee from now on, shut up and do your job."

Sookie knew she was being extremely rude tonight, let alone this past week, but she had been tracked down by the dominatrix-dressed barbie, Pam, only to be dragged over to her stupidly named weird bar, and get tossed into the room by that tall blonde vampire, Eldric, or Eric, or whatever his name was. And then, she found herself getting oddly aggressive towards the girl Ovidia before she got snapped at by her overprotective kid brother vampire whose name she didn't quite catch. She sighed at herself and tried to reflect on Ovidia's thoughts and felt a wave of guilt rush through her; Ovidia had only been curious at her parents' skills at name choices. Granted, her actual name was more of a grandmother's era sort of name, _'Susannah. Seriously, who calls anyone that anymore? Not like my nickname is any better - Sookie. Jeez. She was right to make a joke out of it.'_

Ovidia could feel Sookie sneaking glances over at her, while she lay her head on Godric's shoulder to rest. Her head had stopped trying to implode on itself when Sookie stopped stabbing at her mind, but it left her with a terrible residual headache at the moment. She was sure Godric could feel it as well, because he was now humming that soothing tune to her. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at the telepath blankly, at first. Then noticed that Sookie was fidgeting in her seat.

"Sookie, what did you mean I've been on TV?"

She had meant to sound a little stronger, but her voice had come out a lot more subdued and weaker than she'd expected. Sookie had started at her question and was now looking at her guiltily, quite possibly apologetic at her crazy mental attack. Now that she knew what Sookie could do, Ovidia wasn't sure if she would be able to actually shield her mind the same way from the telepath she did with the vampire's glamour.

"Just exactly that, Vidia. Why do you think we don't have a television at home?" Godric murmured softly as he started stroking her hair. It seemed to relax her a little but her head still hurt.

"Oh. You guys hid me real well then. Is Talbot behind it? Or Russell? And you're not going to rat me out, are you, Sookie?"

"That's something we'll find out in a few nights. And no, she won't if she knows what's good for her. She'll die before she can even blab, telepath or not, I'll see to it." Eric replied this time, finally putting his papers away and looking over his work at her and Godric. "I don't suppose you're feeling well enough to let Sookie try to read parts of your glamoured memories, Viddie?"

Ovidia shook her head, the action already making her eyes swim, already regretting closing her eyes but opening them again might really throw her off balance right now, "No. I feel sick. My head really hurts right now."

"I'm so sorry I-"

"Quiet." Eric cut Sookie off with a glare. "You've done her enough harm for a whole week, don't presume to know anything before you act on your own wild emotions and silly whims, telepath. I think I've made myself clear that while you're extremely rare in existence, I will spare no expense to risk Ovidia's well being in such a manner. You _will_ suffer the consequences if you lose control again or if you speak of her existence even to an empty room, am I clear?"

Ovidia wasn't sure if Sookie had nodded in agreement but she heard Godric speaking to Eric and then she was nudged to stand up. She had no sooner opened her eyes when she felt the room spinning around her, her eyesight closing off, and Godric's urgent words to stay awake before she lost herself to the darkness.

**\- . - . - . -**

* * *

_"Young one, you're finally here."_

_I blinked. 'Wait. Where am I? It's all dark here.' I turned to the voice, it's to the right, but there's no one there. 'Where is this place?'_

_"Don't panic, you're alright. I have searched for a very long time and it's been difficult to get to you. That telepath was what was needed to trigger our meeting. Think of it as a flare in the dark seas. You're extremely hard to trace."_

_'Who are you? Why'd you sound like you've got so many voices? Can't we have some lights around here? It's too dark, I'd really like to see who I'm speaking to.' _

_Suddenly I feel grass beneath my feet, my toes curling into the soft carpet grass. Ooh, nice. Looking around, I find myself standing just outside a quaint bandstand, surrounded by perfectly manicured flowering plants. I could even smell the light scents produced by the flowers. I heard the voice clearing their throat and looked into the bandstand where I saw a really pretty lady dressed like one of the greek royalties standing inside, gesturing to the very homey, comfy looking sitting area within._

_"Well, stop dallying and come in, take a seat. Who I am doesn't matter for now." I walked up the bandstand steps, sat down on the deceivingly comfortable couch and was handed a cup of tea. I mumbled my thanks as the lady smiled back at me, before frowning slightly, "Child, you must know though, you will be captured again; and soon. And you must let it happen, unfortunately. You will need to stay alive, or all will be lost." _

_'What?! Again?! Seriously? I don't want to go back there! Please don't make me go back there. Russell is a monster! And he runs a whole army of monsters!" I quickly placed the tea cup on the coffee table before us and got up to pace. 'Shoot. This is bad. I really don't want to experience that again. One time was already once too often.' _

_I shot the lady a worried look, "I don't even have anything to fight for my own survival, heck, even Sookie has crazy mental skills to attack people, just like she did me. Please tell me you're not actually intending on sending me back to that monster without something to help me survive, because I don't think I can do this alone on my own with just the hardened ability of being glamoured, because Talbot sure as hell managed to glamour me in the end." _

_I thought about how my head literally wanted to implode on itself earlier on, and felt grossly defeated by the idea of having to be tortured and violated again._

_"Fret not. Young one, you're a very special girl. You're one of a kind, quite literally, the first of your kind."_

_"First of my kind? What kind of- no. How do I even trust that sort of information? There is no basis to that. I just told you - I'm just a normal human girl who is hard to glamour."_

_"Me, of course. I've seen universes come and go, and I'm, what you would call, older than stardust. That should give me some semblance of credibility, no?" The lady smiled smugly at me, as if pleased with herself. I really can't help it, I have to roll my eyes at that. Seriously?_

_I snorted at the lady, "For all we both know, you're really just a figment of my imagination and I'm finally losing my mind."_

_"Very well. Have your roman vampire, Godric tell you about me. He should know me as the Ancient Pythoness." The lady rolled her eyes at me in return, seemingly unfazed by my outburst. Sighing, I turned back to the couch and flopped into it. 'Wait. Wait a minute. Godric told me about the Ancient Pythoness before. Wait. Think. Think.' my mind is literally going a thousand miles a minute, could feel the gears churning so quickly in there._

_"You've got to be kidding me, Oracle of Delphi? Seriously? Like, the Omnipotence?" This could be an exciting chat after all. I looked at the lady right into her eyes and sat up. 'Okay, sure. I think I might've mixed something up around there.'_

_"Oh, so you do know of me then. I'm not the Omnipotence though, that's him altogether all alone rolled into one." The lady snapped at me, a bemused pout on her face. I grimaced, 'Way to go, Viddie. This is the Oracle we're chatting with and now we've pissed her off.' _

_"Sorry, Godric's lessons are always interweaving altogether. It's hard to keep up sometimes." _

_The oracle's frown softened and her smile was back on. I picked up a cushion with tassels and started playing with it mindlessly._

_"So, I really don't have a way out of this thing then? I really don't want to go through it again if it can be helped, it's not something someone wants to be put through again, you know? Look, Talbot said he'd come find me, said he'd free himself of Russell, can he be trusted on that?"_

_The oracle sighed and shifted in her seat, "In all my visions, whether Talbot means it or not, he'll be the one to bring you back to Russell. Lucky for you, your vampires will end both of them."_

_Well. That sucks. "For reals? Even if Talbot didn't mean for it to happen?"_

_"Indeed."_

_I sat up properly and let the new information sink in, "That's really too bad, I quite liked Talbot's company. So, do I tell Godric and Eric all of this? I mean, I can tell them everything right?"_

_"You may." The oracle picked up a small cookie and popped it into her mouth, chewing delicately, as if eating was completely normal. So weird watching the very being who calls herself older than stardust actually eat something. I mean, isn't she supposed to survive on I don't know, unicorn's breaths and star glitters or something? Hm. Maybe I could ask her one day. _

_"What about the telepath? Do we keep her around, or release her back into her backwater wilderness? I don't think I like her very much, she's such an aggressive, angry little spitfire." I mused._

_The oracle chuckled, "She's of little use to your cause now. She does have a lack of mannerisms no thanks to her fae heritage. They're vicious, superficial creatures. Have the viking let her go for now. She will be useful to him in some time to come." _

_Hm. I guess Eric can't kill her then. I'll have to let him know that. I'm not sure how much time has passed in silence before the oracle spoke again, telling me that I would wake soon, and that I have all the information I needed to know._

_"So. Just so we're on the same page, Oracle. You mean to tell me that Talbot will betray my trust somehow, no matter what scenario you've seen, and I'll be brought back to Russell to be used, violated and tortured again. And that I must keep myself alive somehow, because Godric and Eric will come for me, and end Talbot and Russell." I curled my toes into the plush rug that adorned the floor of the bandstand. Troubles aside, this is one very nice place._

_"Essentially."_

_I nodded mentally, 'And Eric can't kill Sookie now, because she'll be needed in a couple of years?' _

_"Precisely."_

_"Got it. Thanks. I'll pass the message along. Though Talbot really was pretty good company. I think I will miss him some."_

_"Very well." The oracle picked up a small picture frame from a side table next to the couch, studying it intently. _

_"What am I, if I'm the first of my kind?" If anything, I have to find out what I am. _

_"No one can really say what they truly are, can they? You get to name yourself in that regard." The oracle looked up from the frame and gave me a look. Not sure what that look is supposed to mean. _

_But- "Superhuman?" just had to sully a guess. I mean. hey. I don't even know if I have powers beyond being a chore to vampires on the art of glamouring. _

_"You would think your human condition would have been more evolved than to come up with such simplistic notion of a description now, would you? I have to go now, you're about to wake. Take care, young one. Think of a better name, will you?" The oracle chuckled again as she stood up, and came up next to where I was seated, her hand on my shoulder._

_"Funny you should say that. I'll try to keep alive. See you soon."_

* * *

**\- . - . - . -**

"Ovidia, Ovidia."

She tried swatting the hand tapping lightly on her cheek, a pained moan escaping from her as her head ached horribly.

"Little one, wake up." Godric's murmuring voice came into focus to her hearing as she tried peeling her eyelids open only to have them flutter involuntarily, her entire body protesting the need to energise and move. She felt herself drifting off before Godric's cool hand tapped on her cheek gently again, rousing her back to consciousness.

"Maybe we should give her some blood?"

Her ears registered the soft baritone of Eric's, then Godric's responding hum of agreement. A moment later, Ovidia felt herself being pushed up to rest on something inclined and heard the telltale click of fangs and the sound of flesh being pierced before feeling a cool silky liquid sliding down her throat while cold fingers massaged her neck gently.

_'Oh, sweet mother of all things- This taste. Blood.'_

Ovidia forced her eyes to snap open before letting out a groan from the intense pain from being blinded by the room's light. It took her a moment to attempt multi-tasking as she protested against the hands holding her down, so much was happening at once; her head, while still hurting was clearing up; she was choking on the liquid going down her throat involuntarily because of her need to breathe; her eyes was only still seeing white from the bright lights, and she was panicking because someone was holding her down.

"Ovidia, relax." she heard Godric's voice bear down on her authoritatively, the exact way she could deal with, and she found her limbs go limp, her throat no longer seizing up, her eyes darting to the place where Godric's voice came from and her breath coming back as the blood pooled in her mouth before she swallowed it in a gulp.

"It's just us, Eric and I, Godric." Godric said calmly as she stared at him, still drinking from his arm slowly for a few more seconds before he removed it from her lips. He looked at her intently, feeling the blood tie with the girl flare back to an intensity he was now familiar with. She was feeling confused and panicked, rightfully so. She probably thought they were still in Eric's office in Fangtasia. Godric nodded at Eric, who let go of Ovidia's shoulders and sat down on the coffee table, while he sat cross-legged on the couch next to her, pulling her legs onto his lap.

Ovidia looked around and noticed they were no longer in Eric's office, but in fact, in a living room. _'Must be where Eric calls home.'_ It was sparsely decorated and very white, very Scandinavian styled, almost much like a showroom standard.

"Is it just us now?" She watched Eric nod in affirmative before zipping out of the room. Good. "I have lots to tell you both. You're not going to believe who came to visit me while I was out for the count."

Godric had quirked his eyebrow at her as she waved him off, "Really, you'll think I've gone mad. The freaking oracle came to chat with me. Said she was the Ancient Pythoness."

"The oracle?" the boy vampire questioned and she nodded as Eric brought in a steaming mug of camomile tea. She had found the scent as relaxing as its effects once, and he'd gotten a box of it for her.

"She didn't look her age though. I'm pretty sure there's a serious undertone of an elderly woman but she looked about Eric's physical age."

Eric chuckled this time and nodded, "She is old. In real life, she's still an extremely old vampire. What did she tell you?"

Ovidia sipped on her tea and grimaced, "You're not gonna like it, but she said it must happen. She said in all her visions, whether he meant it or not, Talbot's going to come and take me back to Edgington's for round two. And that I had to try my best to stay alive, because I'm special or something, first of my kind. The two of you will come for me and both Talbot and Russell will meet their true deaths by the both of you."

She heard the two vampires growl and she looked up at them, "It can't be helped, she says in all her visions, he'll be the one to take me back to Russell. _"And your vampires will end both of them."_, her words exactly, by the way."

Godric stilled in his seat while Eric got up to pace as she continued sipping on the tea, letting the aroma of the flowers soothe her. It seemed to soothe the two vampires too, somewhat.

"Oh and Eric, you can't get rid of Sookie just yet, the oracle said she will be useful in the future, but for now she's served her purpose, and she can go home."

"Ugh. She will be the true death of me one day." Eric stopped in the middle of his pacing, growling at the prospect of a continued communication with the telepath, "You're positively sure the oracle said I can't kill her now?"

"Posolutely. Yup." Ovidia nodded to the viking vampire and looked over at the other vampire who was now holding onto her calves lightly.

She was about to take another sip of her tea when the two vampires suddenly stilled and had their heads turned towards the direction of the main entrance as soft knocks rapped on the door and the unmistakeable vain drawl of one mediterranian vampire.

"Oh, honey chuuuumps! It is I, Talbot! I've managed to lose that evil bastard! Let me in!"

Ovidia stared at the door before her eyes found Eric as he turned back to look at her, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he strode to the door, pausing, "And you're sure I cannot kill this one now?".

She gulped. _'No time like the living to live. I guess I'll rest only when I'm dead.'_

* * *

**a/n:** TALBOT! gotta love that character. Seriously, he is funny as shit. :D He was such a neglected character through and through. Russell neglects him like any ego-loving high-ranking man would ignore his beyond perfect partner. and to be killed off? So sad. But anyway, I think he's such a lovely guy, superficial but fun. I think if he and Lafayette ever had the chance to meet, it would've been a total riot.

**Thanks for reading! :) Reviews are liked, favourites are liked, follows are liked. Everything you do is liked! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It didn't take an idiot to understand not to discuss whatever she had talked about with the oracle, in the presence of any other beyond Godric and Eric. That much Ovidia knew. She also knew that no matter what Talbot did, he would be taking her back to Russell Edgington's. It was just a matter of the smaller details now. Details that she knew she should be more curious about, but upon further reflection, Ovidia realised she need not worry about.

_'Because either way. Round two, ding! ding!'_' She stared at Talbot owlishly as she took a sip from her tea and shifted in the seat of the couch next to Godric. Talbot was currently babbling away about how he managed to hire a coven of witches over in South California to help him cover his tracks and temper with the maker-child bond he had with Russell.

Ovidia glanced at the Viking vampire who was sitting, _'no, more like lounging'_ in the armchair between her and their guest. It didn't take her long to realise that Eric would look like a lazy royal in any chair he so chose to slouch in. It occasionally earned him a pointed look from Godric, especially if they were with company, which usually put a smirk on her face. There weren't many things that could earn Godric's ire where Eric was concerned, and given her observations of the older ancient of the two, Ovidia was rather surprised that it was Godric's pet peeve when others slouched in any capacity. She imagined he wouldn't consider slouching a peeve, in his long sight over the grand scheme of things. Often, she would feel Godric's fingers palms righting various parts of her head, neck, shoulders and back whenever she was out walking, or sitting, or even when she sat eating at the dining table. So much so, that after half a year of being in Godric's presence, and his habit of correcting her, it was quite a thrill when he finally dubbed her posture and gait to be perfect, as far as humans go.

Ovidia found herself blinking back at three pairs of expectant eyes, and a quiet room. _'Oh. Uh..'_ She gaped back at Talbot, mentally willing him to repeat his question as he stared back at her, with the same owlish look she'd just turned on him a few minutes ago.

"Little one." Godric turned his torso towards her, and she turned to look at him, "Talbot asked if you would be interested in sharing with him about your journey with us."

_'Ooh. So that's the question.'_ She bit back a sigh and shrugged, as she often did in Talbot's company as she turned her attention back at the curly haired brunette, "Um.. Nothing much, really. Godric and Eric took me away some place to heal, and they schooled me on many subjects while we were out there. Like, how to read the stars, some history here and there, some languages but I can't say I'm much inclined with linguistics. I spent most of my days gardening, or reading. Or doing some kind of woodwork that Eric's been trying to coach me in." Her gaze landed on the lounging Eric as he nodded at her to continue, "Uh, I can use a knife properly now, to cook of course." She smiled at that. Before everything, when she was still the clueless Ovidia, she had made it almost a habit to burn water. Dinners were frozen food or ordered in. She was a hopeless case.

"I think I've had quite an education with these two. It's been fun. They kept me safe, like you said they would." She looked at Talbot's warm smile and she found herself appreciating his looks openly. The vampire had seldom been able to smile that familiarly. Neither did she when she thought of it.

"I am so pleased to hear that. Of course, Godric, Eric, you will have to pardon me for having snooped around in your plans in rescuing her." Talbot swiftly addressed the ancients respectfully, "Tonight's visit was primarily to apologise for that. It was extremely covert of me, I felt so _James Bond_ about that! But, you must know I did it with Ovidia's safety in mind."

Ovidia let her mind wander off promptly when the men started talking shop about what Talbot had done to find out what the ancients and Adam had planned out, and how to ensure that no one else could break through their supposedly uptight covet missions like these in future.

She quietly excused herself to the bathroom a while later, staring herself down in the mirror once done with her toilet needs. She made a study of her facial features, her skin was still as unblemished the day she woke up in Russell's dungeon cell, in fact, her face had filled out from being gaunt for too long. Godric had ensured that she ate the freshest, most nutritionally balanced foods, even the water she drank and the air she breathed in was carefully sourced and filtered. Part of the reason why they had brought her to the country side, where the air was also one of the cleanest she had ever inhaled. Godric once mentioned that the location they were in was possibly the least polluted place in all of North America. Her hair was now robust and shiny, her eyes bright and her cheeks naturally rosy. Eric said she would probably look like Snow White, but with light brown hair. Ovidia took that as the best compliment Eric could pay to anyone without being salacious about it.

"Ovidia?" Eric's deep voice came from beyond the locked door, light raps sounding out quickly and gently. "Are you alright in there?"

"Yes, I'll be out soon." She tilted her head towards it as she replied, her eyes still trained on the mirror trying to memorise the sight before her. She knew she wouldn't look this way for quite some time when she returned to her two vampires the second time, and she wanted to remember this strength she had now so she could tide herself over while being tortured again.

Ovidia sighed, giving her mirror image one last once over, her hands smoothing out the hem of her shirt unnecessarily.

-.-.-.-

Godric sat on the far end of Ovidia's bed, a common occurrence the past half a year as she readied for bed. She mentioned she hardly needed anyone to tuck her in, but the few times that he and Eric felt that she would probably be alright enough to go to bed on her own, the girl managed to trip herself over her feet, thereby splitting her forehead open when she fell into the sideboard table along the bedroom. In another incident, she sprained her shoulder reaching for a pillow. Godric could no less fathom how that was possible, the girl was in the pink of health. Yet in another scenario, she actually managed to drop a glass that she left on her night stand, and then cut herself trying to get out of bed to clean up the mess.

So here he sat, waiting patiently as she got into bed. He had left a melamine mug of water in the middle of her night stand, for sure she wouldn't be so careless as to swing her arms out too far out as to swipe the cup off the surface. Even if she did, it wouldn't break. It was plastic. He had turned down the comforter so she wouldn't trip on her feet getting into bed, the sideboard was practically child-proofed by Eric, the corners had these soft silicone corner attachments so she would suffer a bump, not a gash, if she ever tripped again. And her pillows were all within her reach. Godric nodded to himself inwardly, yes, tonight will be a safe night.

"Ow."

Godric felt his eyebrow arch up, his attention snapped to the accident-prone girl immediately, dreading what he would be facing and he sighed, tiredly. She managed to poke her eye with her own finger. _'Right. Not even I, infamous Death, could save this girl from herself.'_ Godric felt the corners of his lips twitching into the beginnings of a smile as a light chuckle rumbled out from his chest.

"Only you could possibly run the actual risk of poking your eye out, dear one." He shifted over to Ovidia as she settled into bed, rubbing at her poked eye and mumbling about her own clumsiness.

"Come, let me take a look."

He removed her hand and held her head in his hands, staring into her eye, checking it carefully and saw that she only managed to bruise a couple of capillaries in her whites but other than that, it would only be irritated for a short while. Nodding to himself, satisfied that she was fine, he studied her appearance as she stared back into his eyes innocently.

Godric couldn't say for sure if his attraction towards her went beyond how an elder would care for a young one, but as old as he was, he found the girl interesting in the quiet manner she held herself, like piece of driftwood lost in sea, but always managing to stay afloat no matter how the sea would treat it. It made her all the more attractive to him because of that. Because of the fact that he could share his knowledge of the world to her piece by little piece, and she would absorb it like that driftwood, and he felt oddly pleased at the idea that he could shape the way she was maturing into. She was impressionable, but not so much that she couldn't question him about it. That made him feel engaged at some level. It was refreshing since she didn't know of his and Eric's political status in the world, and it was increasingly rare that someone would even provide questions the way she would.

He studied the curvature of her lips and how it was proportionate to her cheekbones the way humans used to look only a few decades ago. Her family must have rather prominent genes if such dominant features were present. She was pretty in a way that he thought that perhaps, the media would term as a 'classic beauty'. With his insistence on her eating the food he provided, and what little blood of his and Eric's was left within her, her features were more radiant than before. Godric would have had his way with her if he were a few centuries younger, when he would've taken action to his whims at that age.

Ovidia blinked up at him, as he blinked back at her quickly, his mind brought back to the present as he noted that her brown eyes had flecks of green, blue and gold scattered all over. It was interesting and a pretty combination.

"Just a light scratch." Godric muttered quietly, letting her go and missing the feel of warmth her skin provided, "You will be fine."

"I knew that. It just sort of itches." the girl rubbed at her eye again, further irritating the capillaries.

"If you keep rubbing at your eye, you're going to wake up with a bruised eyeball tomorrow morning." He advised as he got off the bed gently, flitting over to her side of the bed and tucking her in. He stared down at her, taking her hand away from her face once more, sending her a chiding look as she gave him a grimace in return.

"Just deal with it. The irritation will pass in a while."

Godric saw that the burst capillaries were starting to spread blood around. It was minute but he could smell the blood through the thin membrane as his nostrils flared slightly. He went into the en suite bathroom and wet a small towel with cold water, squeezing it dry so that it was only slightly damp and placed the towel over Ovidia's eye, earning her a sigh of relief as the irritation lessened.

"The inflammation will pass in a while. You can remove the towel then." He brushed her hair away from the towel.

"Godric?" Ovidia looked over at him with her other eye, and he found himself looking at her again, waiting patiently for her question, "Do you think I'll come out sane this next time?"

He let his brows furrow slightly as he thought of the near future in slight distaste, "Only if you allow it, I'm confident that you will come out fine. You're a remarkably strong young woman, and you must always remember that. If I think you are strong, you should be proud, I am after all older than dirt."

She snorted lightly and he felt his lips twitch into a smile again.

"You will come and save me, right? I won't have to fight my way out this time?" He felt a pang of anxiety from the blood tie he shared with her, and instinctively, he comforted her with stroking her hair slowly.

"Yes. Eric and I will be there to save you. Pythia told you so, did she not?" He felt for her mood carefully as she nodded in response, the anxiety barely went away.

"Relax, child. All will be fine. Talbot's gone off for tonight, and it's almost dawn. I don't think he'll be back to cause a ruckus this day. You will be safe."

Godric sat by her side for another twenty minutes, comforting her anxiety and uneasiness away before Ovidia dropped off to sleep, her breath evening and long drawn out. He removed the damp towel and dropped it into the clothes hamper next to the bathroom door, his mind still studying her slumbering features long after leaving her room.

"Godric?" Eric stood by the door frame of the library.

Godric looked up from the book he had been trying to read. It was that boring text on financial systems that Ovidia had given up on. Trying, because with his acquired ability to multi-task at his age, he managed to read the book, absorb its paragraphs, but it still held no appeal to him as dominant thoughts of Ovidia and her impending plight kept surfacing to the forefront of his mind every few chapters.

He nodded to his progeny, indicating his invitation to enter the room and elaborate on whatever he was thinking about. Eric approached and stood within a comfortable distance, his usually impassive face lined lightly with his showing concern.

"How are we going to plan on getting her out of there? We were not even present the last time." Eric asked after some time, his lack of strategy was obviously weighing him down. Godric glanced back down at his book and set it aside.

"Do you think it prudent or foolish if we were to ask Talbot for his opinion?" Eric asked as he began pacing on the large persian rug that adorned the wood flooring. Godric's brows furrowed deeply.

"Obviously foolish! You cannot be serious, child. Russell would be able to command anything of Talbot, we both know this to be true. Any child will not be able to deny a maker's command."

Godric watched his child pace like a caged lion, frequently increasing his pace at vampire speed, slowing down whenever he thought of something, only to growl in frustration again. Not that Godric was displeased about Eric finally having a mindset that wasn't purely narcissistic, but it did cross his mind a few times as to why they had kept themselves secluded from civilisation specially for this one little human child. What was it about Ovidia that had them wary of worldly contact? He struggled to come up with answers but couldn't think of any substantially good excuses.

Sure, the girl was hard to glamour, she had an uncommon streak of bad luck, she could easily kill herself just tripping over her feet, the supernatural community seemed hell bent on raping and abusing the poor child so horrifically beyond measure. There was only so much a respectable vampire could do as a favour to his dayman before he should call it quits. Yet. This pint-sized little human managed to somehow worm her way into his and his progeny's life so much so that Eric would willingly leave his sheriff duties at his own call to assist in recovering the girl, making sure she recovered thoroughly, get assimilated back into civilisation, and now, plan a rescue mission for her and fight against the one vampire they had been searching for -

_'Oh, yes. There we go. Russell cock-sucking Edgington.'_ Godric thought moodily, everything seemed to revolve around that good-for-nothing, senile excuse of an ancient. He imagined himself making it all the way to the three thousand year mark, hoping he wouldn't be as insane as Russell, and decided right then he'd never let his sanity go over the edge like so. A particularly loud hiss from Eric brought his thoughts back to the present and he cocked an eyebrow at his son.

"We should ask Talbot if he provided that gun for Ovidia and how he managed to get his hands on that piece of technology." Eric said quickly, blurring towards the large desk in front of the bookcases, unlocking one of the drawers and pulling out the small case that held the gun they found Ovidia holding the night they picked her up from the room.

Godric held his hand out to Eric, commanding him silently to hand over the lightweight firearm. He studied the piece of weaponry closely, having kept up with military grade weaponry thanks to his obsession with warfare. While he was all about peaceful coexistence like the next hippie, he was still a full-functioning male with the basic need to be prepared at all times.

He had spoken to Ovidia at length about the pistol, but never really bothered to study it as closely as he did right now. He had to admit that Ovidia was right in saying that it was as detailed a pistol that he would lay his eyes on. The level of craftsmanship and fine details were exquisite, right down to the flowery engraving all over. As if custom made for her. Knowing Talbot, it would seem like the thing he would've done. He went over to the desk and unloaded the gun quickly, letting one of the bullets drop on the desk, the silvered tip pinging as it hit the desk. The core was still emitting an energised hum as a blue glow flowed out of it.

"Electric UV. Smart." he murmured, the skin on his fingers hissing and sizzling as he picked up the bullet.

"Are you insane? Put that thing down, you're hurting yourself!" Eric exclaimed loudly, horror filling their bond. Godric grinned at his son impishly and loaded the bullet back into the magazine and into the gun again.

"You may not have noticed, but my ability to wield silver has not weakened me as badly as it should. It would seem that with age, I am also able to deal with low levels of UV rays." He said nonchalantly as he placed the pistol back into the case, and into the drawer again. "It would be legitimate and permissible to ask Talbot about the gun, if it was indeed he who placed it there in the first place."

Godric frowned slightly, "We need to rethink how we go about setting up our safe houses as well. I am most worried that a vampire as young as Talbot was able to track them down that easily, and sneak in to place that gun there without our knowledge."

Eric nodded briskly. No doubt Talbot had explained how he'd done it, it was still worrying. Perhaps they have been much too complacent than he'd imagined. This was a definite wake up call. How Talbot even knew to predict which safe house to get Ovidia to was a feat on its own. Perhaps Talbot had more cunning and brains than he let on. It was a pity he was to meet his final death soon.

* * *

**a/n:** Hello hello! :) you guys have been most patient! So sorry this took too long, plus, so much shorter than I intended it to be. Thank you all for your kind words, or heartfelt disgruntled ones; as I've said in the first chapter, this story is an experimentation of sorts, and that if you're uncomfortable with the idea of obscene violence, and dark themes, then so sorry about that because this isn't the read for you. but if you hang in there, then despite her shit hand in life (as with how life deals out its cards to everyone), I'm hell bent on at least making her have a relatively decent end to this story. :) Maybe there'll be part 2, maybe there won't. Maybe Godric will be there, maybe Eric will be, or maybe they won't. Maybe Adam might come in to save the day! Or perhaps Talbot? eh eh? Some change in the fates?

We'll see. By the way, I do apologise that this chapter has been so short! I've been way too busy at my new job. :) promise I'll write more. Love y'all. :)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello! I'm so excited to share with you my new chapter! Sorry for the crazy long more-than-a-year wait. I have been crazy busy with work, and having the craziest writer's block (because when you get so caught up with work, all one does is work-eat-sleep-repeat, you know?), and I had like 4 other chapters already pre-written, I just didn't know how to link it up to this last chapter, and after 13 months, hey, I have it. Might take us another 1 or 2 chapters before it links up with the other 4 chapters. Or I might break it off to a Part two. I haven't decided, because they look like a totally different time frame.

Just, sorry, this plot… is taking SUCH a drastic turn, the characters, wow. Drastic, dramatic turns. I believe I might suffer more of your wrath for this. Okay, fret not, I still stick by this dark, sordid theme. You know I will, this story was meant for me to experiment with dark themes.

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

-.-.-

"What is with you people?", the soft rasp came from the girl before them, as a few of the males in the room chuckled darkly, a round of murmurs sounding out. Ovidia could grasp a few of the words. She really hated to be back in this room, but obviously, Russell and his damn sentiment.

"Shut your fucking mouth, girl-", a werewolf spat at her, backhanding her face, allowing a trickle of blood dribble from her as her lip split open on one side.

Ever since she was put back into Russell's hold, he had given a no-holds-barred instruction to all who came by, much to Talbot's - dear Talbot, he's not quite himself these days - displeasure. Before, before she met Godric and Eric – she shuddered, thinking of her two vampire saviours, oh, how she missed those quiet moments with them so! - they wouldn't be allowed to just torture her and leave her for dead. Now though, Russell would only allow her to be brought back from the dead, quite literally. He would make the other vampires shock her system back into the living, and once even, had a witch, a necromancer more specifically, search for her soul only to painfully stitch her back into her body. It was almost inhumane, Ovidia stifled a laugh only for it to come out as a racking cough. That she would be brought back from death's hold... that was something else to think about. Apparently, death was kinder than these monsters, she almost didn't want to go back to her body, and if it weren't for the fact that the other souls started channelling the Oracle, reminding her to let this play out, she would've hugged Death and have them embrace her back.

_'Death, like Godric?'_ she wondered briefly as she felt the were grab hold of her neck, squeezing her throat shut painfully.

Something within her changed when she was back in her body, she wasn't sure if it was something the necromancer did, or if it was something that happened by being out of her body for too long, or the fact that the grim reaper was most sympathetic and had left her an almost warm embrace. She never imagined death to be warm, it was always so cold before you died. In any case, she could now compartmentalise her entire mind away from her body's pain, she could even mend herself if she wanted to, but something was telling her it wasn't time for that yet. She would give herself low-level energy boosts just to get by. She felt almost... _'Dare I even think it? Almost... superhuman?'_

She managed to spit at the were's chest and a gurgled chuckle left her lips at her thought amusing her, half knowing she would be in beyond a world of pain today, but she forced her eyes to rove on her torturer's face, memorising every detail. She would gladly remember every minute detail. She would replay this in her mind for the weeks and months to come. Godric and Eric would come, and they would track her down, and save her, or she would die trying to get out again. But in the meantime, she would remember every detail, and when by some dumb luck, she could find herself in a position to get back at these monsters, she would do so, ten-fold.

It had been a few days after Talbot came by that she had let her guard down by picking up the mail that Eric's dayman left by the outside counter. It was laced with some sedative that had transferred onto her skin the moment she opened the envelope. Didn't help her situation that her curious mind had decided it wanted a sniff of whatever it was. She couldn't recall if it had a smell or not, but she'd collapsed into the darkness, and somehow found herself chained to one of the younger vampire's stupid cannon balls made for prisoners and had clapped the cuff to her ankle with some almost unbreakable metal that was spelled by a witch, that proved a challenge even for Russell.

Russell had been most pleased when he found that one couldn't just destroy the chain in one try, and the damn cannon ball was too heavy for her to move. Her means of escaping were now little to zero and so, she had resigned herself to being stuck in Russell's basement till Godric and Eric got to her.

She grimaced as the were shifted angrily where he stood, the other males in the room goading him with suggestions on punishment, his hand dropping from her neck as he punched her in her ribs, the air leaving her lungs as her bones gave way with a crack. That hurt more than she appreciated it, not that she appreciated it much at all.

"Whatever happened to trying to make me talk? Can't wait for me to shut up now? Pussies." She asked, her voice a harsh rasp again. She was currently strapped to the wall by her arms, by the far end of the room, her prison canon ball sitting by the side of her on the floor. She had yet to be given any food or drink today, and they wouldn't even cum in her mouth just so she could have a drip of liquid. She would have even welcome that, but somehow today seemed to be one of those deny Ovidia anything days.

There was a silence in the small room as the males collectively stiffened, and turned slowly away from her, facing the door. She found herself looking at the door in anticipation as well, what could possibly make these males of various breeds have the hairs on their backs all stand in a show of clear agitation and alertness?

As if time had slowed, the door creaked open slowly, the hinges screeching against itself – Talbot stood at the door, glaring at the room of males, his usual flamboyant self a far cry from the seething scowl marring his beautiful face, his pupils blown and a menacing growl shuddering throughout the room.

Talbot had been under some kind of command that Russell had placed over him the moment he was 'called' back. There was little the Byzantium Prince could do to deny his husband's command. In a snap, Russell had ordered him back into this base feral vampire, in a constant bloodlust, in a constant need to rut and in an even larger need to torture any and everyone in his way. She had lost her only ally within the building, but Ovidia could see where she thought Talbot was a prissy little shit previously, he was now more, and she found she could usually speak sense to Talbot. More often that not, her voice alone could reign back his viciousness somehow. She wasn't sure how this was happening, but bunched this little talent along with her new ability to ignore pain, and be able to heal.

"_Out._" Talbot growled as he stepped into the room, a cruel glint in his smile showing his fangs, his hands working along his clothes, removing each article slowly. The vampires in the room had fled at Talbot's order, while the other witches and weres skirted around him warily. The wolf that had been slapping her around growled back at Talbot possessively, not wanting to give up on his plaything just yet. Talbot's feral eyes narrowed on the werewolf, as he moved towards the abandoned chair in the corner by the door, draping his clothes neatly on it.

"I said, _out_, wolf.", Talbot snarled quietly, his eyes locking on Ovidia's strung up body on the wall as she studied him just as quietly. The wolf snarled back incoherently, only to find his heart ripped out crudely by Talbot's sheer strength. _'Oh, that's just gross...'_, she mused to herself.

Ovidia felt her lips curl into a smirk, "Oh, you shouldn't have, Talbot. He was such good fun..." she whispered and watched as he crushed the bleeding heart in his hand and let it squelch on to the floor.

His eyes dancing in mirth as he slowly looked from the destroyed organ, to the girl chained up before him and back down at the dead were. His scowl changing into a curiously evil smile, Ovidia fancied a moment where she enjoyed his predatory smile, but mentally shook herself away from her musing. It did not do well when a killer gave you such smiles. One as unpredictable as Talbot at the moment, it would do her well not to fall for him right now, glamour be damn.

"Now, now honey chumps, why let him have any fun at all?" Talbot's rich voice washed over her like a shiver. Ovidia felt her eyes fluttering close as she heard the vampire kick the dead were aside in his stride towards her, wet foot steps closer and closer until she felt his cool hand cup her cheek and immediately smelled blood. She allowed herself a moment to lean into his intimate gesture before feeling his eyes on her face, and opened her eyes to stare into his fierce green eyes. It was as if a complete moment of clarity came washing over them both, as if seeing each other again for who and what they really were for the first time, for her that meant that she was still the captive being tortured and raped in so many unimagineable ways. Also, Talbot had been the only one to have succeeded in glamouring her without much resistance from her.

For Talbot, he was suddenly reminded of the one time he had tasted this sweet girl's blood and had spent the next week with an erection and found that he wasn't even interested in Russell to get him off. No, he had to have Ovidia to rut against, but he had let her escape too quickly. No, this time, he would have her all to himself.

He stared at the girl again, continuing his completely slow task of taking his clothes off, a show, he liked to think of it, foreplay before the actual foreplay. He smiled to himself as he shrugged his trousers off his hips as he heard the girl mumble back at him all too quietly.

"And let you... have all the fun?"

"But of course, I came bearing gifts and roses, I executed your escape, led you to your Eric and Godric, did I not?" He looked up from his jacket, removing a rolled up leather pouch, taking out a gleaming scapel and twirling it between his fingers.

He approached the girl, his smile still etched on his face. "Now, where are my manners, darling? I'm sure you're quite completely uncomfortable-"

"I think I'm fine where I'm at, sweets.", she whispered sardonically, rolling her eyes as the vampire chuckled where he stood in front of her, "Get me off this fucking wall and I'll give you a blow job like no other."

He did as he was told and hooked the scapel between the wall cuffs, giving them a quick shove and twist, quickly bearing the human's weight onto his own, "You've grown a spine, how lovely. Were you always this quick to back talk at your visitors?" He picked up the girl and dropped her unceremoniously on the thin mattress on the floor, sitting down next to her.

"Well, Eric was a great teacher..." She shrugged nonchalently, leaning heavily into the vampire, suddenly realising his lack of clothing and his complete nudity.

"Aw, did you just remove your clothes so they wouldn't get dirty from this room?" She joked half-heartedly, her throat was grating against itself painfully now. Talbot never came to just visit anymore. No, he was now an active participant like the rest of her visitors, just that his were always a private visit, and he was just as vicious, and as base an animal as the rest of them. Only, he was the only one who didn't leave his injuries on her, Russell be damn, he would snarl at his husband for even doing this to his Ovidia.

Talbot shifted his weight such that she was now laying beneath him, and studied the girl under him with a serious look.

"You should know, those two are looking for you desperately. I don't want to let you go though. Trying as it might be, you seem to be the only female ever whose blood and body sings to me." He murmured quietly as he leaned down to nuzzle her neck and place kisses and licks along her vein. His fangs grew longer after a spell, and let it pierce her skin gently.

Ovidia's breathing hitched as she let her hands grip Talbot's hair by the nape. She felt him purr and growl at the same time, and pulled at his hair again. He let his head get pulled from her neck only to stare at her swollen lip, cut from where the dead were had mauled her.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her eyes searching the vampire's own as he licked his lips, swallowing her blood slowly as though savouring her taste on his tongue.

"Exactly what I meant by saying it." He bent his head down again, drawing another mouthful of her blood into his mouth before piercing his tongue and allowing his venom to heal her neck. He looked down at her, and peered further down their torsos, her legs spread for him, and a thigh already hitched around his hip.

He smirked, "Already ready for me, honey chumps?"

A flush tinged her cheeks pink as she tightened her leg's hold on his hips, "Take me away from here Talbot, I don't want to be here anymore." she whispered longingly as she felt him rub his ready member on her pelvis.

She wouldn't admit it, but she understood what he meant, she had feelings for Talbot, but concluded they were probably a result from being kidnapped and tortured. Obviously, the nicest being, she would fall for. What did Adam say it was called again? Stockholm syndrome or something?

It wouldn't do well for her to actually develop feelings for the vampire. He was to die by the end of this. The oracle said so. Even if he did help her get out of here again, it would be his death in doing so, and for that she felt her heart break for Talbot. She actually liked him better now that he wasn't annoying everyone with his effeminate farce.

"You know I can't. I was specifically commanded by my maker not to. Believe me, love, he was most unhappy when I came looking for you after I found out he took you again. I'm sorry he kidnapped you just so he could make me come home."

Ovidia sighed and bit back a moan as he entered her swiftly, "Why did you leave then?" she huffed out, trying to concentrate on the conversation than the pleasant tingling as his cock pistoned in and out of her forcefully.

"To be with you, of course. I couldn't possibly let anyone else have you" he ground out as he continued, as though talking was proving to be a task he'd rather not be partaking, it wasn't at the moment, he concluded, "Not after that taste I finally had of you. You're holding back." Grunting, he pushed himself up and flipped Ovidia over, slapping her ass cheek harshly, earning a stuttered yelp and a quiet moan from the human girl. Her insides clenched wonderfully around his cock and he hissed his approval of it, smacking her again.

"Why didn't you hide me better then?" she breathed huskily, her own voice betraying her need as he reached down to pinch her nipples.

As much as she had been used like a broodmare the past few weeks, Talbot seemed to actually know what made her body come alive without her own will. Was he actually correct? That she sung to him just as much as he did to her? How else would she even respond to his touch, despite having literally just about fifty other men of all breeds do just the same to her? He was doing all these things to her right now that should make her feel used, and abused, not relishing in his harsh slaps and harsher tugs.

"I did, I hid you with Godric. You know I can't help it, Russell knows me inside out, literally." his strangled answer bit out above her, before he was reduced to hissing in his ancient language she neither knew nor recognised, but knew it was bound to be explicitly vulgar, given the way he said it. He sped up his ministrations over her, gripping her hips hard and pounding into her, wet and sloppy, and completely primal, their talk forgotten for the while as he pulled her up to stand and pushed her against the wall roughly to rut against. A soft scream left her lips as he pounded into her at a force and speed that he had not taken with her before.

Before she could think to continue with their conversation, she felt the familiar coil unfurling within her, the pleasant, inexplicable hum of sensuality washing over her as she climaxed, Talbot following soon after, still holding her against the wall with his full weight.

"Don't even think about it, Ovidia. I would have to die trying to get my maker to release me. I've stayed by his side for almost a millennia. To us, you are just a play thing." He pushed away from her as he spoke, and washed as she whimpered as his cum dribbled out of her. He smirked as he stared down at her, his little sweeting doll all ruined in his spendings, he quite liked that look on her.

"I would love to turn you, but we both know you would die by his hand. Much too jealous, that boy." He snorted and used the dead were's shirt to clean himself off before cleaning her between her legs. "Do you even think for a moment, your two will allow that to happen? I think I'd die first before it happens."

Ovidia stared down at him, still trying to catch her breath as she held on to his shoulder while he cleaned her up. _'He has no idea how true that is.'_, she shuddered gently as the rag brushed against her sensitive clit. Soon, she found herself staring up at him again, and watched as he nicked his finger deeply, presenting the pooling bead of blood at her lips.

"Drink. I need to get to your two in a few nights, and that alone is no small feat considering..." Talbot let his words trail off as the girl suckled on his finger, her tongue rolling around his digit. His eyes dilated once again as he watched her pop his finger out of her mouth, her busted lip healing and other various wounds stitching themselves back together and slowly fading into shiny scars.

"You'll definitely be the death of me." he groused and turned to stalk towards his clothes, putting them on at vampire speed, swiping the dirty rag on his feet before wearing his shoes. He rolled his eyes when he heard her giggle as she sat back down on her mattress, quietly mumbling to herself about blowjobs and fingers.

"Stay alive for me, won't you, honey chumps? Dying on a weekly basis does nothing but kill me a little inside every time, you know?" He was now squatting before her, carefully studying the human before him. He had to admit, he was surprised that he really did have a thing for her, so much that Russell had been completely unhinged about it. Never in his undead life had he seen Russell that mad at him before, he thought, but never had he been so taken with a human or a female like Ovidia before either. He wouldn't be, if he'd never drank any of her blood. It was that one taste of her that something within him irreparably changed, and he was unhinged at wanting only her.

He watched as she shrugged nonchalently, the fight within her vanishing as the light in her eyes dulled over again.

He cupped her face again, just as what he had done in greeting earlier, his thumb brushing against her brow as she leaned into his embrace again like a little kitten. He let a sad smile grace his face for a moment before he dropped his hand, turning to look at the dead were and grimacing, "I should get rid of that asshole, shouldn't I?"

She sighed and nodded sagely, "Can't have him fouling up my room more than it already is, you know?"

He stood and turned, picking up the dead were by his foot, dragging him along like a weightless pillow, not minding as the were's body was banging into things as he made his way to the door. He let his head swivel around the room before letting his gaze rest on the girl again. His lips pursed as mild irritation showed on his face, his once flamboyant character showing for a brief moment, "I really hate this room, it's so... disgustingly... dank. Maybe I'll have husband move you to my quarters. I do hate having to find space to leave my clothes on!"

He continued dragging the dead were out, leaving the door fully open, grumbling and muttering under his breath, the body leaving a bloodly smearing trail on the floor as Talbot dragged it along with him. He knew with the silly canon ball attached to Ovidia's ankle, she wouldn't even think to leave her room anyway, and even if she did, there were guards to stop her.

"Talbot, I mean it, get me out of here, please! And water, I want some" was all he heard of her whispered plea as he started whistling a ditty as he rounded a corner. The dead body slapping around the bend before Talbot paused briefly by the foot of the stairs leading up from the basement, his eyes glinting that malicious intent he was previously sporting before he entered Ovidia's cell, taking in an unnecessary breath as he continued dragging his kill up the steps, the echoes of his whistling haunting the corridor.

-.-.-

Eric paced the length of the study again. It had been almost six weeks since Ovidia had been taken, and they were currently situated in one of Godric's more well-known hide-outs close to the Canadian border. He blamed himself for the lack of security, the lack of foresight. Just when Godric had already implied that having Talbot around was cause for concern. They didn't even have time to question Talbot about that mysterious UV gun he'd planted in _their_ safe room. A check around the other safe rooms also showed that there were other similarly built weapons planted to.

"Shit. Fuck!" the expletives left him in a murmured growl as his hands clenched and unclenched all too quickly, "Odin's hairy sack!"

A shifted eyebrow and a twitch of a lip was on his maker's usually stoic face as Eric continued his pacing. Godric's index finger tapping on the table was the only action on the otherwise still vampire as he sat behind his desk watching his progeny wear a trench before him.

"Eric, stop that pacing, Talbot will arrive soon."

Godric shifted in his chair, his right hand moving over to the box before him. It held the UV gun within and it would be a subject of topic this night. He was keen on getting on with his plans on getting Ovidia back to his side, as much as he was wont not to admit it, he did miss the clumsy girl quite the bit. _'Must be the force of habitually living amongst the living...'_, he mused inwardly as he picked up a letter knife, throwing it at Eric with deadly accuracy as it lodged itself into his son's shoulder.

A pained growl erupted from the tall vampire, followed by a complained whine. Godric resisted rolling his eyes at this progeny. Over a thousand years old, a fully grown man-sized vampire, whining like a new-born child.

"_Sit._", the gaul instructed quietly, pointing to the wingback chair in front of the desk.

"Talbot should be arriving in two minutes, I can hear him approaching." Eric sighed as he folded his large frame into the chair.

_Talbot had been most upset when he had learnt from the two older vampires that Ovidia had been bested out of them and taken away from their safe house. He had been apologetic, since it was only his presence that had Russell's wolves following him and finding them. _

_Eric had watched the change in Talbot take hold almost instantaneously, one moment the flamboyantly gay vampire had been grovelling and lamenting Ovidia's obvious kidnapping, and the next he had collapsed to his knees, fighting what seemed to be a maker's call and command. Eric had quickly deduced what was happening to the youngest vampire, and asked if his maker's command included killing anyone around his vicinity and was given a feral but rather contained grunt, and a brutish nod. _

_Godric had commanded Eric back to his side immediately, with word to Talbot to leave his territory immediately, his loyalty to his maker could never over ride even his own words. A stilted nod with murderously focused eyes was all that met Godric's and Eric's own, it would not do well to give Talbot the true death with Ovidia in Russell's grasps. Not till she was free from him that they would give them both hell._

_He had ordered Eric to grab their getaway bag that was packed earlier that morning, in preparation of shutting down the safehouse to get back to Dallas to plan their next steps. _

_Godric and Eric had shot into the air without warning thereafter, the Byzantium vampire giving them two more seconds before unleashing his maker's command, unlocking the crazed warrior he had for so long, kept hidden away. _

_It was why Russell had turned him, he was to Russell what Eric was to Godric. Godric knew of this, had seen him in battle once, he had once mentioned in passing to Talbot himself when he was newly turned, that if Russell had not been lusting after his Eric, he would've turned him for himself. Both him and Eric would've been blood brothers, and they would've been perfect companions for eternity. Godric merely pointed Talbot out to Russell, "A companion for your ancient will, mayhap?" _

_Godric had recalled to Talbot, how he regretted not taking Talbot for himself. Russell would've been left for his insanity soon enough, and would've walked into the sun sooner enough. No, he and his bleeding heart to want to share his own joy of having a companion. Talbot had only blinked at Godric, wondering how different he would've been if he had been Godric's progeny instead, but could not think of the situation at all and had spoken the thought to the older vampire. Godric merely smiled back at him gently, and patted the little baby vampire's hair nonchalantly before bidding him a good night, with murmured excuses of looking for Russell for a game of some old roman origin. No doubt, something to do with senseless murder of humans. _

_The gaul had stared down at his safe house being destroyed by the youngest vampire, hovering some few hundred feet in the air, "We should look for a way to free Talbot from Russell's lunacy, Eric. It's time to stop this insanity." He felt Eric's tugging uncertainty at his words through their bond, "I should've never given Talbot to Russell. That vampire was meant to be your brother and my progeny." Shock followed by a quiet acceptance came from his progeny pulled Godric out of his thoughts, and he tugged at his bond with his Child, pulling them both in the direction of their next safe house, they had some distance to cover, it was at least another two hours by his flight standards, towards the Canadian border. _

_Giving what seemed to be Talbot another glance, he made a silent promise that if he couldn't replace Russell's blood with his own, he would stake Talbot with his own hands. To have kept this warrior away for so long and deny Talbot his own personal freedom was an affront. He had not given Talbot to Russell for him to tamp down the glorious killer that he was. He bristled at the thought. Russell might be older than he was by almost a millennia, but Godric wasn't Russell's equal for silly reasons. _

The muffled knock on the door signalled Talbot's arrival, shunting both vampires out of their deep thoughts for the long two minutes that it took Talbot to get to them.

Godric nodded to Eric who was almost by the door, the door revealing a very different Talbot before them.

"Godric. Eric." Talbot's smooth, rich voice was like a lover's caress on their ears.

Godric's lips curling into a small smirk as he regarded the vampire before him. Talbot wasn't too much older than him in terms of when he was turned. Perhaps, a man in his mid-twenties by today's standards. He had a classic build that seemed to adapt to the evolving style of the current human's environment. A face that was neither fully Caucasian, neither pan-European. A careful balance much like his own, they were both gifted with looks that could blend in if they so wished.

"Come in, Talbot." Godric's own soft voice drifting towards the door.

Talbot's eyes had quickly cased the either room, he had let himself into Godric's safe house, his skills of breaking and entering weren't so much a secret but he was proud that even to this day, he had still bested Godric in his security.

The worn out dent on the floor was met with a quick quirk of his eyebrow directed at one blonde vampire who had now folded himself into a wing back chair. A similar, less ornate chair next to his was gestured at by Eric. Talbot turned back to Godric, his eyes flitting back to the worn out dent in the wood floor and then back to Eric and to his maker again. Godric merely shrugged, the action making him look the very epitome of a teenager and he chuffed out a chuckle. He stood in front of the desk.

"Eric was... restless, it seems." was Godric's only reply to his chuckle, followed by Eric's own snort.

"You came without any one following this time, I hope?" Eric asked, a little apprehensively. The last thing they needed was for Talbot to be followed.

"Yes, but you and I both know that if Russell so wanted, my homing beacon will let him know where I am. He hardly feels the need to reign me back in these days, it seems.", Talbot shrugged, his face grimacing for a moment, "I wish to be done with this as soon as we can, too."

He had recalled the very same conversation Godric had with him when he was newly turned, and it had been a stifling, niggling thought in his mind every few decades. He reasoned that was why Russell puppeteered him into the effeminate blathering fool that he was. He was pretty sure that while he was naturally flamboyant to begin with, he was never that annoying about it before. That aside, he finally felt at ease with himself after so many centuries of having to put up this front for Russell. He had begun collecting information on how to get rid of his maker once and for all, but in order for him to do so, he obviously had to play the fool still and be under Russell's thumb until the time came for it.

He would only be too happy to be by himself once more. He missed his Ovidia and hated that she was kept hidden in that dank cell.

He jutted his chin towards the box on the desk, his keen hearing already letting him know the UV gun that he'd placed in Eric's safe room was in it.

"That's the UV gun I gave Ovidia, bit of a piece of fancy work, that one." he grinned at Godric, watching Eric's head lift up in curiosity.

"How did you get it in?" Eric questioned a bit too quickly, earning him a laugh out of Talbot.

"Much like how you can fly, my talent for covert warfare happens to be my forte." Talbot gestured to the box and Godric pushed it towards the younger vampire, he could see Eric's posture stiffen behind him.

"Relax, Viking." He casually flipped the lid open, picking up the gun and studying it carefully, his face once again grimacing when he noticed the dried smear of Ovidia's blood. He could recognise her blood's scent anywhere. He wasn't too sure what this really meant. They – vampires, never had human mates. And he couldn't think to change Ovidia to make her vampire. He just couldn't.

"Godric, I must admit-" He placed the gun back down into the box, his fingers going straight for the whining bullet, his fingers sizzling slightly for a moment before settling and healing, he stole a quick glance at the elder vampire, noting his look of studied shock on his face.

"My other talent, adapting and evolving. Something Russell doesn't know.", he explained quickly, brushing off his ability to wield the UV rays within his hand, "That isn't what I was admitting to. I had some of Ovidia's blood previously before I managed to glamour her into looking for you both."

Talbot heard Eric's growl behind him, but paid him no heed as he ran his fingers on the smooth glass of the bullet, "And ever since then, I find myself… her blood sings to me a fair bit too much." His brows furrowed as he placed the bullet back into the box, finally shutting the box and looking up at Godric.

"Has that ever occurred to you before, Godric?" Talbot asked quietly as he moved to sit next to the Viking, who was now sporting a murderous glare at him. He wasn't too concerned. To him, to Talbot right now, all that mattered was that some were or some vampire was busy torturing his Ovidia, and it made him uncomfortable being so far away, being unable to scare them away from her.

Godric's steady gaze flitted over to his progeny for the quickest moment, and Talbot had his answer, "So, it is the call of a maker?" The elder nodded briefly, and Talbot noted the sympathetic look in his eyes before it was replaced with a sigh.

"I have no interest in changing Ovidia. Not with Russell..." Talbot's words trailed off again, Eric had sighed beside him.

"Talbot, this is why we're meeting, are we not? I'm sorry it is to plan the demise of your maker, you can't possibly want to give your maker his true death, would you?" Eric resumed his pacing, only much slower this time.

"Not after what he keeps putting Ovidia through. I find myself wanting it much more each night I awaken."

Godric studied the two vampires before him, his fingers intertwined with each other in thought, "Come, Talbot. Let us not waste time, and let us discuss what you know. We will find a way out of this for you and Ovidia both."

* * *

**A/N: Well.. filler chapter... like, 2 in 1? You like? Don't like? Plot twist much? Let me know what you think! :) Also, if you didn't already read the blanket warning in my first chapter... well... huh. Too bad, I suppose?**


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